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69/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 69 out of 100. Prevention and risk

Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies

Fragmented investigation has masked the overall picture for causes of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Among the risk factors for CVD, high blood pressure (BP) is associated with the strongest evidence for causation and it has a high prevalence of exposure. Biologically, normal levels of BP are considerably lower than what has typically been characterized as normal in research and clinical practice. We propose that CVD is primarily caused by a right-sided shift in the population distribution of BP. Our view that BP is the predominant risk factor for CVD is based on conceptual postulates that have been tested in observational investigations and clinical trials. Large cohort studies have demonstrated that high BP is an important risk factor for heart failure, atrial fibrillation, chronic kidney disease, heart valve diseases, aortic syndromes, and dementia, in addition to coronary heart disease and stroke. In multivariate modeling, the presumed attributable risk of high BP for stroke and coronary heart disease has increased steadily with progressive use of lower values for normal BP. Meta-analysis of BP-lowering randomized controlled trials has demonstrated a benefit which is almost identical to that predicted from BP risk relationships in cohort studies. Prevention of age-related increases in BP would, in large part, reduce the vascular consequences usually attributed to aging, and together with intensive treatment of established hypertension would eliminate a large proportion of the population burden of BP-related CVD.

Key findings

Fragmented investigation has masked the overall picture for causes of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Among the risk factors for CVD, high blood pressure (BP) is associated with the strongest evidence for causation and it has a high prevalence of exposure.
Large cohort studies have demonstrated that high BP is an important risk factor for heart failure, atrial fibrillation, chronic kidney disease, heart valve diseases, aortic syndromes, and dementia, in addition to coronary heart disease and stroke.
Meta-analysis of BP-lowering randomized controlled trials has demonstrated a benefit which is almost identical to that predicted from BP risk relationships in cohort studies.

Why it matters

High blood pressure is presented as the strongest risk factor for cardiovascular disease and is also linked to dementia. The review suggests that preventing age-related increases in blood pressure could reduce vascular consequences usually attributed to aging.

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Study details

Study designmeta-analysis
Evidence strengthHigh

How this study scored 69/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a meta-analysis pooling many studies. Scored zero for sample size, effect reported and studied in people because the record does not state it.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979))
Journal's citation record	3 / 4	Hypertension: journal h-index 369 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29)
Study design	12 / 12	A meta-analysis pooling many studies
Strength of evidence	5 / 5	Rated “high” in our summary
Peer-review validation	10 / 10	Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal.
How recent	2 / 5	2020 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here
Sample size	0 / 4	Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Effect reported	0 / 3	No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Studied in people	0 / 3	Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Randomised / blinded	0 / 2	A review of other studies — randomisation is not credited here
Times cited	7 / 7	Cited 1,932 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	5 / 5	241.5 citations a year over 8 year(s) since 2020
Impact for its field and year	6 / 6	Cited 64.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	0 / 6	No other study in this library cites it
Still being cited	4 / 4	Cited 1,162 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	4 / 4	Last-listed author Paul Kieran Whelton: h-index 121 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	1 / 3	Tulane University: institution h-index 735 (OpenAlex)
Multi-centre collaboration	1 / 3	OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 2 countries
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 31865786)
Free to read	0 / 2	Behind a paywall — scores zero
Total	69 / 100	—

What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →

Read the original

Full text: free to read — PubMed Central lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 10 Oct 2026).

Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris

Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.

APA 7th

Fuchs, F. D., & Whelton, P. K. (2020). High Blood Pressure and Cardiovascular Disease. Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979). https://doi.org/10.1161/hypertensionaha.119.14240

Vancouver

Fuchs FD, Whelton PK. High Blood Pressure and Cardiovascular Disease. Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979). 2020. doi:10.1161/hypertensionaha.119.14240. PMID: 31865786.

BibTeX

@article{fuchs2020-31865786,
  author  = {Fuchs, F. D. and Whelton, P. K.},
  title   = {{High Blood Pressure and Cardiovascular Disease}},
  journal = {Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979)},
  year    = {2020},
  doi     = {10.1161/hypertensionaha.119.14240},
  pmid    = {31865786},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1161/hypertensionaha.119.14240}
}

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