Adults with a history of allergic disorders as well as asthma have an increased risk of high blood pressure and coronary heart disease, finds a study.

The study led by teams at Shenzhen Peking University in China showed that individuals with a history of allergic disorders between ages 18 and 57 had a higher risk of high blood pressure. A higher risk of coronary heart disease was seen in study participants who were between ages 39-57 and males. Asthma contributed most to the risk of high blood pressure and coronary heart disease.

"For patients with allergic disorders, routine evaluation of blood pressure and routine examination for coronary heart disease should be given by clinicians to ensure early treatments are given to those with hypertension or coronary heart disease," said Yang Guo, from the University's Department of Dermatology.

Previous studies reported an association between allergic disorders and cardiovascular disease, which remain controversial findings, the team said. The current study aimed to determine whether adults with allergic disorders have increased cardiovascular risk.

The team included 34,417 adults, over half of whom were women and averaged 48.5 years old. The allergic group, with 10,045 adults, had at least one allergic disorder, including asthma, respiratory allergy, digestive allergy, skin allergy and other allergies.

"Further large cohort studies with long-term follow-up are needed to confirm our findings," Guo said. "Additionally, appreciating the underlying mechanism may help future management in such individuals." The study will be presented at ACC Asia 2022 together with the Korean Society of Cardiology Spring Conference on April 15-16.