New from NPR，高血壓是無形殺手，千萬別等閒視之！Nearly 1 in 5 young adults has high blood pressure

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大多數的年輕人都沒有天天量血壓的習慣，許多人甚至根本不曉得自己有高血壓。體重過重的人通常是高危險群，另外家族遺傳的因素也要考量在內，總之大家不能掉以輕心。

這篇NPR的報導，揭露了一個可怕的事實：那就是美國年輕人當中，幾乎每五人就有一人有高血壓，長期高血壓會導致動脈狹窄、血管阻塞、腦中風、心臟衰竭、心肌梗塞、糖尿病甚至腎臟疾病，所以有空大家來量量血壓吧。運動(減重)與清淡的飲食(少鹽份)也能改善狀況。一旦服用高血壓藥物，就不能擅自停藥，這篇報導有很多很棒的英文詞彙可以學起來，請大家多多收聽下載。

Nearly 1 in 5 young adults has high blood pressure   From NPR news

Here's a worrisome trend:令人憂心的趨勢 high blood pressure among young adults. The findings調查結果, by researchers at the University of North Carolina, appear online in the journal Epidemiology流行病學期刊. As NPR's Patty Neighmond reports, this is the first, large, long-term study美國首度出現的大規模長期研究 to find such high rates of hypertension 高血壓among such young people.

PATTY NEIGHMOND: Sociologist Kathleen Mullan Harris is analyzing分析 a number of health surveys健康調查 that were mandated by受委託 Congress受美國國會委託調查研究 in the mid-'90s. The idea was to examine the health and habits of teenagers, those teens are now young adults between 24 and 32, and many of them don't even know they have high blood pressure.

Professor KATHLEEN MULLAN HARRIS (Sociology, University of North Carolina): It's asymptomatic. You know, there aren't really any outward symptoms外顯性的徵兆. People don't feel any different, even though they have high blood pressure.

NEIGHMOND: In the latest analysis, Mullan Harris found the rate of high blood pressure among young adults, alarming.

Prof. MULLAN HARRIS: Nearly one in five, or 19 percent of young adults had high blood pressure.

NEIGHMOND: High blood pressure is risky enough when you're middle aged. But when it starts young, in your twenties or even younger, it can set into play啟動/引發 a series of dangerous consequences. Dr. Steven Hirschfeld is an official with the National Institutes of Health美國國立衛生研究院 and a pediatrician小兒科醫生. (geriatrician 為老人病科醫生)

Dr. STEVEN HIRSCHFELD (National Institutes of Health, Pediatrician): Blood pressure causes changes in the structure of the body高血壓會使身體出現結構性的改變, and those changes in the structure of the body are generally irreversible不可逆轉的 and they compromise (這邊當連累或是削弱的意思) the function of many organs內臟器官 and many systems身體的系統.

NEIGHMOND: Which makes the body more vulnerable to sudden problems, like ruptured blood vessels血管破裂, blood clots血栓, and internal bleeding內出血; and diseases like diabetes糖尿病 and heart disease心臟病.

The researchers say while the findings are disturbing, they're not exactly surprising. The majority of young adults surveyed were either overweight體重過重 or obese病態的肥胖, which is known to cause high blood pressure. Sociologist Mullan Harris:

Prof. MULLAN HARRIS: IN 1995, 11 percent of a sample was obese. When we followed them up追蹤, five to six years later, that doubled. And then we followed them up five to six years later - 37 percent are obese.

MEIGHMOND: And many of them were simply overweight. Overall, 67 percent were overweight or obese. That pretty much reflects national trends反映出美國目前的現況 among all U.S. adults.

Now it's important to note this isn't the first study of high blood pressure among that 24 to 32 year old age group. Other federal surveys have found hypertension, but at far lower rates. So researchers and federal health officials agree more study of young adults, in particular, is needed to figure out exactly how big of problem this is. But Dr. Hirschfeld says any hypertension is a problem and should be prevented.預防的

Dr. HIRSCHFELD: Everyone should have checkups and have their weight, their blood pressure, their blood sugar, and other measures of their general health checked 一般性的健康檢查regularly, no matter how old they are.

NEIGHMOND: Part of the problem is that your typical twenty-something may not visit the doctor on as routine basis例行性的, or even monitor their blood pressure觀察血壓. Hirschfeld says that should change, especially if they're overweight. And steps could be taken to make it easier to check up on your own health. Organizations could follow the lead of pharmacies藥局(單數pharmacy), for example, by installing free blood pressure checks at airports, supermarkets, or shopping malls, in much the same way flu shots流感疫苗 are readily available nationwide. 全國性的

Patty Neighmond, NPR News.