Hypertension is assumed to be more prevalent in the male population. However, experts suggest that it affects both the genders equally.

A recent study published in the Journal of Hypertension indicates that there is a direct association between social ties and risk of hypertension in women. The longitudinal study including more than 28,000 people between the ages of 45 and 85 years found that women with a small social circle and limited social participation (less than two social activities in a month) are more likely to get hypertension than women who had better or more social interactions. Hypertension risk was also found to be higher in widowed women than married women.

Hypertension (high blood pressure) is assumed to be more prevalent in the male population. However, experts suggest that it affects both the genders equally. In fact, after a certain age, women are more prone to the condition than men and the former have several very unique risk factors for high blood pressure both in the pre and post-menopausal age.

Unique risk factors

According to the American Heart Association, high blood pressure is not directly related to gender. However, pregnancy, menopause and use of birth control pills are some unique factors that put women at a higher risk of hypertension.

Research suggests that women who smoke, have a genetic predisposition to hypertension or are overweight are highly likely to have high blood pressure on regular use of birth control pills.

Similarly, pregnant women often experience high blood pressure. If you have had a history of hypertension, you may have to consult your doctor before trying to conceive since high blood pressure can harm both the baby and the mother.

Gestational hypertension develops after 20 weeks of pregnancy; you may develop this type of hypertension even if you never had the condition before. And then there is pre-eclampsia, a pregnancy complication wherein the woman has high blood pressure and limb swelling and protein in urine. Pre-eclampsia can be life-threatening for the mother and preterm delivery is the only way to resolve it.

Finally, after menopause, when the estrogen levels drop, a woman’s chances of developing hypertension increases significantly. Studies suggest that a combination of various factors including individual genetics, body mass index (BMI) and increased sympathetic nervous system activity are responsible for this spike in risk. The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for the flight and fight response. It increases blood pressure, decreases intestinal motility and accelerates heart rate.

Difference in symptoms

As per the European Society of Cardiology, hypertensive women experience more arterial stiffness, atrial fibrillation and heart failure in older age than hypertensive men. Since they have a smaller diameter of arteries, aneurysms in women rupture at a much smaller size than in men.

Hypertension is said to be a silent killer. Usually, it does not show any symptoms unless there is organ damage. However, in some young and middle-aged women, the condition can also be symptomatic. Such women report some of the following symptoms:

• Headache
• Blurred vision
• A feeling that the bra is too tight
• Chest pain due to stress or continuous pain in chest that often travels up the shoulder and left arm or jaw
• Hot flushes
• Excessive sweating day and night
• Sleep disturbance
• Tiredness

A lot of these symptoms are associated with stress or menopause. Experts suggest that if you notice these symptoms, it is best to consult a doctor, especially if you have a family history of hypertension.

For more information, read our article on High blood pressure.

Health articles on News18 are written by myUpchar.com, India’s first and biggest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to bring you information on all things health.

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The exact causes behind dementia are varied and at times unclear. We know that genetic factors — like carrying the APOE4 gene — can have an impact on a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s, as can lifestyle or environmental factors like diet, exercise and exposure to air pollution. And a new study adds to the growing evidence that weight and obesity may also contribute to a person’s dementia risk.

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Oxford in the U.K., was published in Neurology and examined over one million women living in the U.K.

Researchers have known from past studies that a larger waist size, and metabolic issues like diabetes, are linked to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia. But the scientists working on the latest study wanted to examine this connection further.

The goal was to “help determine whether midlife obesity is a cause of dementia” rather than just a correlation. Plus, the researchers wanted to understand why there has appeared to be a link between the development of dementia and low body mass index (BMI), low calorie intake and physical inactivity. Does the dementia cause a person to lose weight and become inactive, or is it the other way around?

Investigating Obesity, BMI and Dementia
The researchers followed over one million women, who had a mean age of 56, for 15 years — from 1996 to 2001. They measured height, weight, caloric intake and levels of physical inactivity. In 2017, the researchers followed up with the women by taking note of their National Health Service records, marking down hospitalizations and any mentions of dementia.

They found that women who were considered obese — with a body mass index (BMI) over 30 — were 21 percent more likely to develop dementia compared to women with a healthier BMI of 20-24.9.

2.2 percent of the women with obesity ended up with dementia long-term, but only 1.7 percent of the women with a healthy BMI did. This suggests that obesity likely contributes to the development of dementia.

Interestingly, however, the researchers found that while the other three factors investigated — low caloric intake, low BMI and inactivity — were associated with a higher dementia risk earlier on in the women’s lives, they ultimately did not appear to contribute to the risk over the long-term.

“Some previous studies have suggested poor diet or a lack of exercise may increase a person’s risk of dementia,” Sarah Floud, lead researcher on the study, said. “However, our study found these factors are not linked to the long-term risk of dementia. The short-term links between dementia, inactivity and low calorie intake are likely to be the result of the earliest signs of the disease, before symptoms start to show.”

However, that’s left to be debated — as many experts and past researchers have argued that a person’s Alzheimer’s or dementia risk is greatly reduced if they eat a healthy diet and exercise. One recent study suggested that up to one-third of dementia cases could be prevented with lifestyle changes.

Floud does agree, however, that obesity is likely tied to a greater dementia risk. “On the other hand, obesity in midlife was linked with dementia 15 or more years later,” she said. “Obesity is a well-established risk factor for cerebrovascular disease. Cerebrovascular disease contributes to dementia later in life.”

The relationship between the metabolic system and dementia is complex and still being investigated by researchers.

However, many experts advocate for their patients to stay active, whether or not they have a risk of developing Alzheimer’s. Exercise has been shown to be the single most effective preventive tool against the disease.

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RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The number of obese individuals in Brazil grew 67.8 percent between 2006 and 2018, according to data from the VIGITEL (Surveillance of Risk Factors and Protection for Chronic Diseases by Telephone Survey), which was released on Thursday, July 25th, by the Ministry of Health.

The survey, carried out last year, showed that the index increased from 11.8 percent (2006) to 19.8 percent (2018) and that people between 25 and 34 years of age (84.2 percent) and between 35 and 44 years of age (81.1 percent) recorded the steepest increase in obesity. Among the genders, women showed the highest rate of obesity, with 20.7 percent, while men exhibited 18.7 percent.

The obesity rate had remained stable at 18.9 percent since 2015. The overweight rate also increased in Brazil. More than half of the population (55.7 percent) is overweight, and the rate is 30.8 percent higher than in 2006 when it was 42.6 percent. In this specific case, the population aged between eighteen and 24 years shows a higher incidence.

The data on obesity and overweight took the Body Mass Index (BMI) into account. The survey interviewed 52,395 people from 26 capitals and the Federal District. The interviews, conducted with people over 18 years of age, were performed between February and December 2018.

Increased healthy habits

In spite of the growth in obesity and overweight rates, the Brazilian population is becoming more and more engaged in healthy habits. Between 2008 and 2018, there was a 15.5 percent increase in regular fruit and vegetable intake, which is more prevalent among women (27.2 percent) than among men (18.4 percent).

The practice of physical activities grew by 25.7 percent compared to 2009. “The data indicate that the practice of some physical activity during free time is greater among men (45.4 percent) than among women (31.8 percent),” reports the ministry. “By age group, the rise is more significant in the population between 35 and 44 years old, with an increase of 40.6 percent over the past ten years”.

The adult population is also reducing the intake of soft drinks and sugary beverages. The drop was 53.4 percent in the period from 2007 to 2018. In November, the ministry set targets to reduce the amount of sugar in industrialized products. The goal is to reduce 144,000 tons of sugar in products by 2022.

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