High Blood Pressure in Young Adults Could Lead to Heart Disease 青年时血压高能导致心脏病（在线收听）

VOA常速英语2014--High Blood Pressure in Young Adults Could Lead to Heart Disease 青年时血压高能导致心脏病

February is heart health month, and a new study that provides clues to young people about keeping their hearts healthy. The study looks at high blood pressure, which can lead to heart attack or stroke. It finds that high blood pressure in people as young as 18 increases their risk for heart disease.

二月是心脏健康月，最新研究为年轻人保持心脏健康提供了信息。这份研究的重点是导致心脏病或中风的高血压，研究发现18岁的年轻人患有高血压会增加心脏病的几率。

High blood pressure increases a person's risk of heart disease, no matter when they develop it. That's why doctors monitor blood pressure so carefully.

高血压使得患上心脏病的几率增加，无论何时发病。因此医生们非常仔细地观察血压。

A new study finds that young adults in their teens and 20's who develop high blood pressure are more at risk for heart disease by the time they reach middle age, 35 to 50 years old, than those whose blood pressure is normal.  

一份新研究发现，与那些血压正常的人相比，在少年或20多岁有高血压的成年人更容易在35到50岁时患上心脏病。

Dr. Norrina Allen at Northwestern University took over an ongoing study that started 25 years ago. The study followed blood pressure patterns of men and women between the ages of 18 and 30.

西北大学的Norrina Allen博士一直在坚持做25年前就开始的一项研究，他观测年龄在18到30岁之间男女的血压类型。

The nearly 5,000 participants fell into common patterns: those whose blood pressure stayed within normal limits; those whose blood pressure was consistently high, and those whose blood pressure rose gradually over time, to levels that were higher than normal, but not high enough for prescription medicines.

近5000名参加者分为几个类型：血压在正常范围之内的；血压一直很高的；血压一直在慢慢上升，比正常值高些，但并未高到需要开处方药。

“Individuals who had increasing blood pressure in middle age or those who had high blood pressure by the time they hit middle age were at greater risk for development of heart disease by the time they were 50,” said Allen.

“那些中年时血压不断上升的人，以及那些到了中年有高血压的人会在50岁时更容易患上心脏病。”

The researchers also tested to see whether calcium, formed in the arteries of the heart. Calcium build-up can lead to heart attacks.  

研究者还化验了心脏动脉中是否有钙形成，钙累积可导致心脏病。

“Individuals who had higher blood pressures, or those who increased their blood pressure from young adulthood through middle age, had a higher risk for this calcification, up to an almost four times higher risk,” said Allen.

“血压高的人，以及从青年到中年时血压都一直在上升的人更容易发生钙化现象，其风险是正常的近四倍。”

Most of the young adults with high blood pressure had unhealthy lifestyles. They were overweight, ate fatty foods, didn't exercise, smoked or had a combination of these habits.

大多数血压高的青年人都过着不健康的生活方式，他们体重超标，吃高脂肪的食物，不锻炼身体，吸烟，或有多重这些不良习惯。

Two findings came out of this study, your blood pressure when you're young can affect you as you age, and tracking blood pressure from the late teens on could save lives.

研究得出两个发现：一个人年轻时的血压影响年老时的健康，从青少年晚期就关注血压能拯救生命。

"If we can identify which pattern an individual is likely to fall into, we may be able to identify who’s at risk for the development of heart disease and intervene before they actually develop heart disease,” said Allen.

“如果我们能识别出一个人可能出现的问题类型，就能在容易得心脏病的患者患病之前识别出他们。”

The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.  

这份研究发表在《美国医学协会》杂志上。

Allen said the study is continuing and the researchers are now trying to find out how best to help patients with high blood pressure get healthier.

Allen说这项研究仍在继续中，研究者希望找到帮助高血压患者保持健康的最佳办法。