As the world's population ages, people are becoming more interested in finding out how high blood pressure and cancer are linked. The chances of getting both high blood pressure and cancer go up with age, and some drugs used to treat cancer can make hypertension worse. 

A recent study found that cancer survivors with high blood pressure are more likely to have cardiovascular problems than hypertensive people who have never had cancer. People who had chemotherapy were especially likely to have these problems. 

Researchers from Suzuki et al. (2024) looked at information from 747,620 people who were identified with high blood pressure between January 2005 and May 2022. Of these people, 26,531 had had cancer in the past. 

People with and without a history of cancer were compared in terms of the amount of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events they had. These events included myocardial infarction (MI), angina pectoris (AP), stroke, heart failure (HF), and atrial fibrillation (AF).

The writers found that cancer survivors with high blood pressure were more likely to have cardiac problems than people who had never had cancer. To be more specific, they were 21% more likely to have a combined CVD event. 

When researchers looked at the changes in risk for each type of CVD event separately, they found that people with a history of cancer were 31% more likely to develop HF than people who had never had cancer. Even worrisome was the discovery that cancer patients who had chemo were even more likely to have a combination of CVDs. This means that the treatment itself may make cardiac problems more likely in cancer patients who already have high blood pressure.

What do these results mean for people who have survived cancer and the people who care for them? This study couldn't prove a direct link between having had cancer and having CVD, but the results make it clear how important it is to keep a close eye on cardiac health, especially in people with high blood pressure and a history of cancer. 

When planning treatment and follow-up care for people who have survived cancer, doctors should take this higher risk into account. Also, people who have survived cancer should be aware of the risks and take steps to protect their cardiac health. As part of this, they may have to live a healthy life by doing things like having a balanced diet, staying active, dealing with stress, and, if necessary, giving up smoking.

Reference:

Suzuki, Y., Kaneko, H., Okada, A. et al. Risk of cancer history in cardiovascular disease among individuals with hypertension. Hypertens Res (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41440-024-01660-4