Self-reported Age of Hypertension Onset and Hypertension-Mediated Organ Damage in Middle-Aged Individuals

Abstract Background Objectively defined early onset hypertension, based on repeated blood pressure measurements, is a strong risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). We aimed to assess if also self-reported hypertension onset age is associated with hypertension-mediated organ damage (HMOD). Additionally, we evaluated the agreement between self-reported and objectively defined hypertension onset age. Methods We studied 2,649 participants (50 ± 4 years at the time of outcome assessment, 57% women) of the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study who underwent measurements for echocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD), coronary calcification, and albuminuria. We divided the participants into groups according to self-reported hypertension onset age (