High Blood Pressure Among Young Koreans Caused by Obesity and Stress

A street in Hongdae, one of the busiest entertainment districts in Seoul, is crowded with people on July 6, 2021. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Dec. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — An increasing number of South Koreans in their 20s and 30s are developing high blood pressure, with healthcare professionals saying that there is an urgent need to control the risk of obesity and stress.

A research team from Chung-Ang University Hospital analyzed the data from Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service, which showed that 252,938 people between 20 and 39 years of age were diagnosed with high blood pressure last year, an increase of 29.2 percent from 2017.

The number of patients in their 20s jumped by a whopping 44.6 percent.

“Excessive consumption of oily food and lack of exercise among the country’s younger generation is resulting in a higher obesity rate,” said Kim Hye-mi, a professor of internal medicine at Chung-Ang University Hospital.

“Higher stress levels caused by the pandemic and unemployment have also affected the risk of high blood pressure.”

The Dallas Heart Study reported that obesity excites sympathetic nerves and encourages the excretion of neurotransmitters that raise blood pressure.

Stress is also a factor that raises blood pressure, heightening the risk of cardio-cerebrovascular diseases, as seen in various studies.

Only 17 percent of South Koreans in their 20s and 30s, however, are aware that they have high blood pressure, and only 14 percent receive proper medical treatment.

H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)