In a large study of 212,046 participants, mobile phone use for making or receiving calls was significantly associated with a higher risk of new-onset hypertension, especially among high-frequency users.
Hypertension is one of the leading preventable risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and premature death worldwide.
The global age-standardized prevalence of raised blood pressure was 24.1% in men and 20.1% in women in 2015.
In recent years, mobile phones have become a device of everyday life around the world, with an estimated 8.2 billion subscriptions worldwide in 2020.
This raises important questions about the safety of using a mobile phone to make or receive calls, especially for heavy users.
Some studies in animals or human cells, for example, suggested that long-term exposure to radio-frequency electromagnetic fields emitted by mobile phones was related to oxidative stress, increased inflammation, and DNA damage, all of which could lead to the development of hypertension.
“Our findings suggest that talking on a mobile may not affect the risk of developing high blood pressure as long as weekly call time is kept below half an hour,” said Southern Medical University’s Professor Xianhui Qin, senior author of the study.
“More research is required to replicate the results, but until then it seems prudent to keep mobile phone calls to a minimum to preserve heart health.”
Professor Qin and colleagues used data from a total of 212 046 participants aged 37 to 73 years without prior hypertension in the UK Biobank.
Information on the use of a mobile phone to make and receive calls was collected through a self-reported touchscreen questionnaire at baseline, including years of use, hours per week, and using a hands-free device/speakerphone.
Participants who used a mobile phone at least once a week to make or receive calls were defined as mobile phone users.
During a median follow up of 12 years, 13,984 (7%) participants developed hypertension.
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