Mobile Phone Use Tied to Higher Risk for New-Onset Hypertension

TUESDAY, May 9, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Mobile phone use for making or receiving calls was significantly associated with a higher risk for new-onset hypertension, according to a study published online May 4 in the European Heart Journal: Digital Health.

Ziliang Ye, from Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China, and colleagues examined associations of mobile phone use for making or receiving calls and use frequency with new-onset hypertension in the general population. The analysis included data (median follow-up, 12.0 years) from 212,046 participants in the U.K. Biobank without prior hypertension.

The researchers found that compared with mobile phone nonusers, a significantly higher risk for new-onset hypertension was seen in mobile phone users (hazard ratio [HR], 1.07). Compared with those with a weekly usage time of mobile phones for making or receiving calls <5 minutes, there was a significantly higher risk for new-onset hypertension for participants with a weekly usage time of 30 to 59 minutes (HR, 1.08), one to three hours (HR, 1.13), four to six hours (HR, 1.16), and more than six hours (HR, 1.25). The highest risk for new-onset hypertension was seen for participants with both high genetic risks for hypertension and longer weekly usage time of mobile phones.

"It's the number of minutes people spend talking on a mobile that matter for heart health, with more minutes meaning greater risk," a coauthor said in a statement. "Years of use or employing a hands-free set-up had no influence on the likelihood of developing high blood pressure."

Abstract/Full Text