Hypertension Risk High Among Childhood Cancer Survivors – Study

Hypertension or high blood pressure is one of the leading health problems among young adults, especially among the working group of people.

Sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise and unhealthy diet are among the major risk factors for hypertension. However, a new study has found some startling fact about the cause for hypertension.

According to the study, kids who have survived cancer in their childhood are twice more likely to develop high blood pressure risk in their adulthood than the general population.

Well, this is something that none of us would have thought as a possible cause for hypertension. High blood pressure problems among people usually arise due to problems related to age, sex and fluctuations in the rates of the body mass index.

Meanwhile, the researchers also stated that hypertension occurs among the general people who are usually a decade older in age than the childhood cancer survivors who become an easy target of the risk quiet fast.

"High blood pressure is an important modifiable risk factor that increases risk of heart problems in everyone. Research has shown that high blood pressure can have an even greater negative impact on survivors of childhood cancer who were treated with cardiotoxic therapies such as anthracyclines or chest radiation," said Todd M. Gibson, researcher at the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Tennessee, the US.

For the study, the researchers had examined 3016 adults to study their long-term health outcomes and found that the prevalence of hypertension was 2.6 times higher among childhood cancer survivors.

The results noted that hypertension increased over time, such as 13 percent of the survivors developed high blood pressure at age 30, 37 percent had hypertension at the age of 40, and more than 70 percent of the survivors had hypertension by the age of 50.

The study found that exposure to radiotherapy or chemotherapy were not significantly associated with hypertension.

The study was recently published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention

Well, if you want to prevent the risk of hypertension then make it a point to follow few of these simple lifestyle.

Healthy Diet:
A healthy diet comprising of all the essential nutrients is a must to prevent hypertension. Avoiding excess calories, fats and processed foods helps.

Regular Exercise:
Regular exercise for about a minimum of 30 minutes everyday is a must. This can be walking, cycling, jogging. It helps in keeping your blood pressure under control and helps in keeping you fit as well.

Avoid Excess Sodium Intake:
Excess salt intake can lead to an increase in the spike in your blood pressure and lead to several other serious health hazards as well. It is advisable to limit intake of sodium in order to prevent hypertension.

Limit Alcohol Intake:
Drinking alcohol in moderation can do good to your health but when you consume in excess, it can be harmful for your health. Avoiding alcohol is the best way to prevent hypertension.

(With Agency Inputs)