Cohort study
Blood pressure in childhood, young- and mid-adulthood: association with carotid plaque severity
- Prospective cohort study
- Bayesian relevant life-course exposure model
Authors' conclusion
Blood pressure at each life stage contributes equally to carotid plaque presence, with mid-adulthood BP associated with a greater contribution to plaque area.
Study context
- Population
- Participants of the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study with blood pressure (BP) measured in childhood, young adulthood and mid-adulthood
- Participants
- 1,889 participants
- Exposure
- BP across childhood, young adulthood and mid-adulthood and carotid plaque in mid-adulthood
- Outcome
- Carotid plaque presence and area in mid-adulthood
- Follow-up
- 38-year follow-up
Main finding
Carotid plaque presence
Relative risk
1.22
95% CrI 1.10–1.36
By group
Childhood
39.4%
Relative weight
Young adulthood
37.9%
Relative weight
Mid-adulthood
22.7%
Relative weight
Cumulative SBP, per 1-SD increase (∼12 mm Hg)
relative risk 1.22 (95% CrI 1.10–1.36)
Per 1-SD increase, as printed
As reported in the abstract
- Participants who developed carotid plaques
- 745 (39.4%)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Carotid plaque area · CrI
β (square millimetre) 0.16 (0.08–0.23)
Relative weight
- Carotid plaque area: 95% CrI
DBP, pulse pressure, mean arterial pressure
- Similar patterns observed
Original publication
Blood pressure in childhood, young- and mid-adulthood: association with carotid plaque severity. Eur Heart J. Published 25 March 2025. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf139
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it