Stage 1 hypertension is associated with an increased risk for acute coronary syndromes (ACS) in women, according to a study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. Investigators examined associations between stage 1 hypertension and ACS in 12,329 participants in the Hordaland Health Study (mean baseline age, 41; 52% women). Participants were categorized by baseline blood pressure (BP) category: normotension (BP <130/80 mm Hg), stage 1 hypertension (BP 130-139/80-89 mm Hg), and stage 2 hypertension (BP ≥140/90 mm Hg). During 16 years of follow-up, 1.4% and 5.7% of women and men, respectively, experienced incident ACS. Stage 1 hypertension was associated with a higher risk for ACS in women after adjustment for diabetes, smoking, BMI, cholesterol, and physical activity (hazard ratio [HR], 2.18; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.32-3.60), while in men, the association was not significant (HR, 1.30; 95% CI, 0.98-1.71). Stage 1 diastolic hypertension was associated with ACS in women (HR, 2.54; 95% CI, 1.56- 4.15) but not in men (HR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.00- 1.65), while stage 1 systolic hypertension was not associated with ACS in either sex after additional adjustment for systolic and diastolic BP.
