Foreclosed Properties May Elevate Risk of High Blood Pressure, Study Finds

A new research found that residing near a foreclosed property ups the risk of high blood pressure.

Researchers say that foreclosed property affects the neighbours' systolic blood pressure or it ups the blood pressure in the neighborhood. 

According to the study, neighborhood environment is a crucial social determinant of cardiovascular health including blood pressure.  The recent U.S. housing crisis impelled the public health community to have a better understanding of how foreclosure activity might impact health.

"Healthcare providers, particularly those serving neighborhoods still recovering from the recent housing crisis, should be aware of foreclosure activity as a possible source of unhealthy stress for residents,"  Mariana Arcaya, Sc.D., M.C.P., study lead author, said in a statement.

For the study, the researchers reviewed data of over 1,740 participants in which 53 percent were women. The data was from  the1987-2008  Framingham Offspring Cohort study,  a part of the Framingham Heart Study.

They basically distinguished between the real-estate-owned foreclosure, which are owned by lenders are generally sitting vacant and the foreclosures purchased by third party buyers.

 On analyzing the data the researchers noticed that each additional foreclosed property within 100 meters of participant's home was linked with an average increase of 1.71 mm Hg in systolic blood pressure. 

On the other hand the researchers noticed no effect from the foreclosed properties that were more than 100 meters from the participant's homes.

"The increases in blood pressure observed could be due in part to unhealthy stress from residents' perception that their own properties are less valuable, their streets less attractive or safe and their neighborhoods less stable. Safety could also be a concern that affects their ability to exercise in these neighborhoods," said Arcaya.

The finding was documented in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.