Hypertension in young university students: analysis of risk factors in medical students
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Introduction: Although the harmful impact of hypertension is well known, most studies focus on high-risk populations or older people, leaving the evidence for young adults, traditionally considered low-risk, limited. Awareness and control of hypertension are low among young people, which becomes a significant concern since high blood pressure in youth can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in adulthood.
Objective: To evaluate the blood pressure of medical students from the first to the eighth semesters.
Method: Cross-sectional observational study, in which 80 students enrolled from the first to the eighth semesters were randomly interviewed.
Results: 32.5% had altered blood pressure, with males being a significant risk factor for hypertension, with men being 5.67 times more likely to develop hypertension compared to women (p = 0.001). BMI was also a determining factor, with individuals with a higher index having a higher prevalence of altered blood pressure. There was a negative correlation between stress levels and systolic pressure (p = 0.019), indicating a slight reduction in blood pressure in more stressed students. Smoking and poor sleep did not show a significant correlation with blood pressure. In addition, throughout the academic periods, there was stability in the values without significant variations associated with progress in the course, with the exception of diastolic pressure, which decreased in the more advanced periods (p = 0.025).
Conclusion: Preventive actions should be adopted to change lifestyle even in younger populations so that, in the long term, these changes result in lower incidence and prevalence of cardiovascular diseases.
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