Prevalence of Elevated Blood Pressure and Risk Factors for Hypertension in College Athletes.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the prevalence and risk factors for hypertension (HTN) in college athletes using the new (≥130/80 mm Hg) versus prior (≥140/90 mm Hg) US hypertension guidelines. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Eleven Pacific-12 Conference institutions. PARTICIPANTS: Of the 8602 athletes enrolled in the primary study, 4977 (57.9%) met inclusion criteria. Athletes were included in the study if age <30 and blood pressure (BP), baseline demographics (age, weight, height, sex, and race), and primary sport were available. INDEPENDENT VARIABLES: Age, sex, race, height, weight, body mass index, and primary sport. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Elevated BP of ≥130/80 mm Hg and/or ≥140/90 mm Hg. RESULTS: Normal BP (<130/80) was present in 3214 (64.6%) athletes and 1763 (35.4%) had BP ≥ 130/80, including 460 (9.2%) with BP ≥ 140/90. Male athletes had a higher prevalence of BP ≥ 130/80 (46.7% vs 21.5%; P < 0.001) and BP ≥ 140/90 (14.2% vs 3.1%; P < 0.001) compared to female athletes. Independent risk factors from multivariate analyses for BP ≥ 130/80 included: older age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.00-1.11, P = 0.04), male sex (OR = 1.97, 95% CI 1.65-2.35, P < 0.001), heavier weight (OR = 1.03, 95% CI 1.02-1.03, P < 0.001), and baseball as the primary sport (OR = 1.47, 95% CI 1.14-1.90, P < 0.01). Independent risk factors for BP ≥ 140/90 mm Hg included: male sex (OR = 3.54, 95% CI 2.55-4.97, P < 0.001) and heavier weight (OR = 1.03, 95% CI 1.02-1.04, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In a large, diverse cohort of matriculating college athletes from multiple institutions, over one-third presented with elevated BP ≥ 130/80 mm Hg, which was more common in older male athletes with larger body size and baseball players.