Mobile phone calls, genetic susceptibility, and new-onset hypertension: results from 212 046 UK Biobank participants

Abstract

Mobile phone calls, genetic susceptibility, and new-onset hypertension: results from 212 046 UK Biobank participants Ye Z, Zhang Y, Zhang Y, Yang S, Liu M, Wu Q, Zhou C, He P, Gan X, Qin X. Mobile phone calls, genetic susceptibility, and new-onset hypertension: results from 212 046 UK Biobank participants. European Heart Journal - Digital Health, 2023. doi: 10.1093/ehjdh/ztad024. Abstract Aims The relationship between mobile phone use for making or receiving calls and hypertension risk remains uncertain. We aimed to examine the associations of mobile phone use for making or receiving calls and the use frequency with new-onset hypertension in the general population, using data from the UK Biobank. Methods and results A total of 212 046 participants without prior hypertension in the UK Biobank were included. Participants who have been using a mobile phone at least once per week to make or receive calls were defined as mobile phone users. The primary outcome was new-onset hypertension. During a median follow-up of 12.0 years, 13 984 participants developed new-onset hypertension. Compared with mobile phone non-users, a significantly higher risk of new-onset hypertension was found in mobile phone users [hazards ratio (HR), 1.07; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01–1.12]. Among mobile phone users, compared with those with a weekly usage time of mobile phones for making or receiving calls <5 mins, significantly higher risks of new-onset hypertension were found in participants with a weekly usage time of 30–59 mins (HR, 1.08; 95%CI: 1.01–1.16), 1–3 h (HR, 1.13; 95%CI: 1.06–1.22), 4–6 h (HR, 1.16; 95%CI: 1.04–1.29), and >6 h (HR, 1.25; 95%CI: 1.13–1.39) (P for trend <0.001). Moreover, participants with both high genetic risks of hypertension and longer weekly usage time of mobile phones making or receiving calls had the highest risk of new-onset hypertension. Conclusions Mobile phone use for making or receiving calls was significantly associated with a higher risk of new-onset hypertension, especially among high-frequency users Excerpts In this large, population-based prospective cohort study, we first demonstrated that mobile phone use for making or receiving calls was significantly related to a higher risk of new-onset hypertension. More importantly, among mobile phone users, there was a significantly positive association between the weekly usage time of mobile phones for making or receiving calls and new-onset hypertension. In addition, the association between weekly usage of mobile phones for making or receiving calls and the risk of hypertension was strengthened by the genetic susceptibility to hypertension. Nevertheless, there were no significant associations between the length of mobile phone use or hands-free device/speakerphone use to make or receive calls and the risk of new- onset hypertension. These findings suggested that it is the frequency of mobile phone use for making or receiving calls, rather than the length of start using it, that determined the effect of mobile phone use on the risk of hypertension. In other words, long-term healthy mobile phone use for making or receiving calls may not affect the risk of hypertension as long as it is used for no more than 30 min per week to make or receive calls. ... it is possible that our study underestimated the association between weekly usage time making or receiving calls and the risk of new-onset hypertension. In fact, according to the answers to the question ‘Is there any difference between your mobile phone use now compared to 2 years ago?’, only 12.8% and 13.7% of the participants at baseline and at 2012–13 follow-up in the UK biobank study reported that the mobile phone use was now less frequent. What’s more, we also found a significantly positive association between weekly usage of mobile phones for making or receiving calls and an increase in SBP levels at the 2012–13 follow-up (vs. that at baseline) (see Supplementary material online, Figure S2). This result, with a more objective outcome and having direct data indicating relatively stable mobile use during follow-up, further supported our findings of the positive association between weekly usage of mobile phones for making or receiving calls and new-onset hypertension.... In conclusion, mobile phone use for making or receiving calls was significantly associated with a higher risk of new-onset hypertension, especially in those with a longer weekly usage time, among the general population. Our findings and the underlying mechanisms should be further evaluated in more studies. If further confirmed, our study suggests that reducing the time spent using mobile phones to make or receive calls may play a role in the primary prevention of hypertension in the general population. Open access paper: academic.oup.com

AI evidence extraction

Main findings

In 212,046 UK Biobank participants without prior hypertension followed for a median of 12.0 years, mobile phone users (≥1 call/week) had a higher risk of new-onset hypertension vs non-users (HR 1.07, 95% CI 1.01–1.12). Among users, higher weekly call time was associated with higher hypertension risk compared with <5 min/week (e.g., >6 h/week HR 1.25, 95% CI 1.13–1.39; trend P<0.001), and those with high genetic risk plus longer call time had the highest risk.

Outcomes measured

• New-onset hypertension

Limitations

• Exposure assessment based on mobile phone use for making/receiving calls; specific RF parameters (frequency, SAR) not reported in abstract
• Observational design (cohort); residual confounding cannot be excluded (not detailed in abstract)
• Genetic susceptibility interaction described but quantitative interaction metrics not provided in abstract

Suggested hubs

• mobile-phones-health (0.9)
  Examines mobile phone call use and incident hypertension in a large cohort.

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