Researchers from the University of North Carolina have found that one in five young adults may have high blood pressure. A study was conducted to see the rate of high blood pressure with younger adults between the ages of 24 and 32.

The study analyzed 14,000 men and women in 2008. The research showed that 19% of the adults had high blood pressure. Concerns rose when only half were told about their conditions. Qyunh Nguyen, a doctoral student at UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public health, states: “The findings are significant because they indicate that many young adults are at risk of developing heart disease, but are unaware that they have hypertension”.

Many researchers were surprised at the high rate of hypertension in young adults. The evidence is suggesting that young adults are not going for regular checkups. The Add Health study found that males were more likely than females to have hypertension, which could lead to heart problems in the future.

Young adults need to be aware of their heart conditions. If they are suffering hypertension at a younger age, it is possible to make changes to prevent heart failure in the future, Kathleen Mullan Harris, Ph. D., suggests.