Great success for Center researchers at the Norwegian Hypertension Society’s scientific meeting

The Norwegian Hypertension Society organizes a national research meeting for its members every two years. This is an excellent arena for young researchers in the field to present new findings and discuss them with leading experts on high blood pressure.

Rune Krogh Eilertsen conducts research on cardiac changes in individuals who experience stroke of unknown cause (cryptogenic stroke) before the age of 50. About 10% of all stroke patients belong to this group. Our core echocardiography laboratory has analyzed images from nearly 1,200 such patients and controls in the European multicenter SECRETO study, led by Helsinki University Hospital. The aim of the study is to identify factors contributing to this type of stroke at a young age. His research has shown that many of these young stroke patients have cardiac changes linked to obesity, smoking, and untreated hypertension. These risk factors can be improved through lifestyle changes and proper follow-up in primary care. The project is supported by Helse Vest.

Aistėja Šelmytė-Besusparė presented results from her research project on early cardiac changes in midlife women, comparing findings in women before and after menopause with men. The analyses are based on the FATCOR study, a 10-year follow-up of 600 women and men with overweight or obesity that began in 2009. Echocardiographic images of participants have been analyzed at our core echocardiography laboratory, and sex hormones have been analyzed at the Metabolomics Core Facility at the University of Bergen. The main findings showed that in obesity, women both before and after menopause have a 2–3 times higher risk of early cardiac changes compared to men of the same age. The most important contributors to these changes are obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. This project demonstrates for the first time that women of reproductive age are not protected against early cardiac changes when they have obesity. The project is supported by the Grieg Foundation and Godvik Women’s Health Association.