A research team from the American College of Cardiology (ACC) has demonstrated a link between adults with a history of allergies and an increased risk of hypertension as well as coronary heart disease.
A History of allergies and risk of hypertension: How was this link discovered?
Data from the National Health Interview Survey demonstrated that adults with a history of allergic disorders have an increased risk of hypertension as well as coronary heart disease, with the highest risk seen in black male adults.
This study is being presented at ACC Asia 2022 Together with the Korean Society of Cardiology Spring Conference from 15-16 April 2022.
“For patients with allergic disorders, routine evaluation of blood pressure and routine examination for coronary heart disease should be given by clinicians to ensure early treatments are given to those with hypertension or coronary heart disease,” explained Yang Guo, PhD, lead author, from the Department of Dermatology at the Institute of Dermatology at Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen Peking University-The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Medical Centre.
“Previous studies reported an association between allergic disorders and cardiovascular disease, which remain controversial findings,” said Guo. “The current study aimed to determine whether adults with allergic disorders have increased cardiovascular risk.”
How was this data collected?
Scientists utilised 2012 data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) – which is a cross-sectional survey of the US population – in order to discover a link between a participant’s history of allergies and risk of hypertension or heart disease. The allergic group included adults with at least one allergic disorder, including asthma, respiratory allergy, digestive allergy, skin allergy, and other allergies.
Overall, the study included 34,417 adults, over half of whom were women and averaged 48.5 years old. The allergic group included 10,045 adults. The researchers adjusted for age, sex, race, smoking, alcohol drinking, and body mass index – they also examined subgroups stratified by demographic factors.
What did these results reveal?
Researchers discovered that a history of allergic disorders was associated with increased risk of hypertension and coronary heart disease. Upon further analyses, individuals with a history of allergic disorders between ages 18 and 57 had a higher risk of hypertension.
A higher risk of coronary heart disease was seen in study participants who were between ages 39-57, male and Black, African, or American. Asthma contributed most to the risk of hypertension and coronary heart disease.
“Further large cohort studies with long-term follow-up are needed to confirm our findings,” Guo noted. “Additionally, appreciating the underlying mechanism may help future management in such individuals.”
