Teens with High Blood Pressure have Better Quality of Life: Study

According to a study published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, teenagers with high blood pressure appear to have better psychological adjustment and enjoy a higher quality of life when compared to those with normal blood pressure.

The study was led by Dr. Angela Berendes of University of Gottingen, Germany. This is the first study of its kind, which associates high blood pressure with quality of life.

In order to prove the hypothesis, the researchers worked on data of around 7,700 teens, in which their blood pressure, quality of life and psychological distress was monitored. They noticed that at least 10.7 percent of the teens had high blood pressure, twice as high as what was expected.

Those adolescents with hypertension were more likely to be obese and less likely to be physically fit when compared to those with normal blood pressure. Most of their time was spent watching TV or playing video games, and they showed adverse health behavior that included alcohol consumption.

However, to their surprise, those teens with high blood pressure were better in many ways. They were academically successful when compared to teens with normal pressure. They had a good quality of life, with high scores in areas of family life, self esteem and physical well-being. They also showed less problems with hyperactivity. The significance remained the same even after adjusting for other factors which might have altered the results.

"Whatever the explanations, the new study finds highly consistent links between high blood pressures, lower distress, and higher quality of life, suggesting a real and epidemiologically relevant association," Dr. Berendes and coauthors conclude.