Blood pressure fell in young adults in Glasgow between 1948 and 1968

Declines in blood pressure in young adults in the middle of the last century could help to explain the large declines in stroke and, more recently, coronary heart disease. On p 885 McCarron et al show that blood pressure declined over the period 1948-68 in a cohort of Glasgow University students. The downward trends occurred throughout the blood pressure distribution and were not due to the use of antihypertensive drugs. As these changes were occurring in adolescents and young adults, factors in early life, such as fetal development or childhood growth and nutrition, are implicated.

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Relevant Article

Changes in blood pressure among students attending Glasgow University between 1948 and 1968: analyses of cross sectional surveys • Commentary: Changing population blood pressure levels

Peter McCarron, Mona Okasha, James McEwen, George Davey Smith, and Bruce Neal
BMJ 2001 322: 885-889. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]