Mobile Phone Calls Increases High BP Risk

According to new research published today in the European Heart Journal—Digital Health, talking on a mobile phone for 30 minutes or more each week is associated with a 12% elevated high BP risk compared to less than 30 minutes.

“It’s the number of minutes people spend talking on a mobile that matters for heart health, with more minutes meaning greater risk,” said study author Professor Xianhui Qin of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China. “Years of use or employing a hands-free set-up had no influence on the likelihood of developing high blood pressure. More studies are needed to confirm the findings.”

A mobile phone is owned by over three-quarters of the world’s population aged 10 and up. Worldwide, almost 1.3 billion adults aged 30 to 79 have high blood pressure (hypertension). Hypertension is a key risk factor for heart attack and stroke, as well as a leading cause of death worldwide.

Mobile phones transmit low quantities of radiofrequency energy, which has been related to blood pressure increases after brief exposure. Previous research on mobile phone use and blood pressure was inconclusive, maybe because it encompassed calls, texts, gaming, and so on.

This study looked at the link between making and receiving phone calls and developing new-onset hypertension. Data from the UK Biobank were utilized in the study. A total of 212,046 people aged 37 to 73 years were enrolled in the study. At baseline, a self-reported touchscreen questionnaire was used to collect information on the usage of a mobile phone to make and receive calls, including years of use, hours per week, and use of a hands-free device/speakerphone.

Participants who used a mobile phone to make or receive calls at least once per week were classified as mobile phone users.

After controlling for age, gender, body mass index, race, deprivation, family history of hypertension, education, smoking status, blood pressure, blood lipids, inflammation, blood glucose, kidney function, and use of medications to lower cholesterol or blood glucose levels, the researchers examined the relationship between mobile phone usage and new-onset hypertension.
Participants were 54 years old on average, 62% were women, and 88% used mobile phones. During a 12-year median follow-up period, 13,984 (7%) participants developed hypertension. When compared to non-users, mobile phone users had a 7% higher risk of hypertension. Participants who talked on their phones for 30 minutes or more per week had a 12% higher risk of developing new-onset high blood pressure than those who talked for less than 30 minutes per week.

In comparison to participants who spent less than 5 minutes per week making or receiving mobile phone calls, weekly usage time of 30-59 minutes, 1-3 hours, 4-6 hours, and more than 6 hours was associated with an 8%, 13%, 16%, and 25% increased risk of high blood pressure, respectively. Years of use and use of a hands-free device/speakerphone were not substantially connected to the development of hypertension among mobile phone users.

The researchers also looked at the link between using time (less than 30 minutes vs. 30 minutes or more) and new-onset hypertension according to whether the subjects had a low, intermediate, or high hereditary risk of developing hypertension. The genetic high BP risk was calculated using data from the UK Biobank.

The analysis revealed that those with a high genetic risk who spent at least 30 minutes a week on the phone had a 33% higher likelihood of high BP risk than those with a low genetic risk who spent less than 30 minutes a week on the phone.

Professor Qin said, “Our findings suggest that talking on a mobile may not affect the risk of developing high blood pressure as long as weekly call time is kept below half an hour. More research is required to replicate the results, but until then it seems prudent to keep mobile phone calls to a minimum to preserve heart health.”

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