Birds of a feather like to mix – this saying seems to apply not only to… Finding a partner to be true, but also with health complaints. At least a recent study shows this connection Journal of the American Heart Association in several countries.
The research team from the University of Michigan in the USA investigated high blood pressure. This one joins Middle-aged and elderly people very often, that’s not new. However, researchers examined whether heterosexual partners in the United States, England, China and India mirrored each other’s high blood pressure status.
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Previous studies have Link between high blood pressure and other diseases in couples each examined in a single country or used small regional samples. “We now wanted to find out whether many married couples, who often have the same interests, living circumstances, lifestyle habits and health outcomes, also share high blood pressure,” the new study says study.
Regional differences are noticeable
The researchers analyzed the blood pressure values of 3,989 couples from the USA, 1,086 couples from England, 6,514 couples from China and 22,389 couples from India and found that the frequency of high blood pressure in both spouses or partners was 47 percent in England and 47 percent in the USA 38 percent, in China 21 percent and in India 20 percent. Interesting and surprising: Compared to wives married to husbands without high blood pressure, wives whose husbands had high blood pressure were 9 percent more likely to have high blood pressure in the United States and England, and 19 percent more likely in India increased and in China by 26 percent.
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In other words, high blood pressure is most common in couples in the UK and US. In China and India they are But wives are more at risk, as well as getting sick if your partner suffers from high blood pressure. According to the scientists, a possible reason could be: cultural differences be in the countries. This may also mean that health is more closely linked between couples.
“In China and India there is a strong belief in this cohesion of the family, so couples could have a greater impact on each other’s health,” says co-author Peiyi Lu, an epidemiologist at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. “In societies in China and India, couples are expected to interdependent are and support each other, both emotionally and instrumentally.”
Couple-related therapies are required
The results also show that for the researchers Need for new diagnostic and treatment approaches for high blood pressure patients involving both partners. They therefore suggest paired measures to improve hypertension diagnosis and treatment, such as: E.g. couple screening, skills training or joint participation in treatment programs.