Even in older adults, high blood pressure over time still raises the risk of heart problems — but the effect is strongest in younger people. This means keeping blood pressure in check matters at every age, especially in rural China.

For people living in rural China, having higher average diastolic blood pressure over time is linked to a higher chance of heart disease — even if you already account for their starting blood pressure and other health factors.

For Uyghur adults in China, the longer and higher their blood pressure adds up over time, the greater their chance of getting heart disease — every certain amount of buildup raises the risk by about a third.

For Chinese Uyghur adults, the more their blood pressure pulses go up over time, the higher their chance of heart problems — even more than regular blood pressure readings suggest.

For people in rural China, tracking blood pressure over time gives a better warning about future heart problems than just one early reading—and the more your average pressure adds up over the years, the higher your risk.

In rural China, adults who have had the highest blood pressure levels over time are much more likely to get heart disease than those with the lowest levels — and the higher the pressure, the greater the risk.