Childhood cancer survivors more likely to develop hypertension in adulthood

(Representational image)

New Delhi: As per a new study, children who have survived cancer during their childhood are twice more likely to develop a risk of high blood pressure (hypertension) in their adulthood as compared to the general population.

Hypertension is normally related to problems pertaining to age, sex, and fluctuations in the rates of the body mass index.

The study, published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, stated that hypertension occurs among the general people who are usually a decade older in age than the childhood cancer survivors who become an easy target of the risk quiet fast.

"High blood pressure is an important modifiable risk factor that increases risk of heart problems in everyone. Research has shown that high blood pressure can have an even greater negative impact on survivors of childhood cancer who were treated with cardiotoxic therapies such as anthracyclines or chest radiation," said Todd M. Gibson, researcher at the St Jude Children's Research Hospital in Tennessee, the US.

The researchers examined 3,016 adults to study their long-term health outcomes and found that the prevalence of hypertension was 2.6 times higher among childhood cancer survivors.

The results noted that hypertension increased over time, such as 13 percent of the survivors developed high blood pressure at age 30, 37 percent had hypertension at the age of 40, and more than 70 percent of the survivors had hypertension by the age of 50.

The study found that exposure to radiotherapy or chemotherapy were not significantly associated with hypertension.

Previous studies have also shown that cancer treatments during childhood can reduce cognitive flexibility and lead to a weaker short-term memory.

Hypertension or high blood pressure is one of the most common lifestyle diseases prevalent today and is a major contributor to health problems like strokes and heart attacks.

Considered to be a “silent killer” by medical professionals across the globe, hypertension is a cardiovascular disease whose detection is a bit complex, due to its subtle signs and symptoms.

(With IANS inputs)