Abstract Body (Do not enter title and authors here): Background: The U.S. population has seen a dramatic increase in the burden of hypertension (HTN) among younger adults. However, HTN-related mortality trends among younger adults have not been investigated.

Aim: We examined the trends and demographic differences in HTN-related mortality among younger adults in the U.S.

Methods: Data from the CDC WONDER database was examined from 1999 to 2021 for HTN-related mortality in adults between 15 to 45 years of age. The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems-10th Revision (ICD-10) codes employed were as follows: I10-I15 (hypertensive diseases). Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) per 100,000 persons and annual percent changes (APCs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated and stratified by year, sex, race/ethnicity, urbanization status and census region.

Results: Between 1999 and 2021, 201,860 HTN-related mortalities occurred among younger adults in the U.S. The AAMR increased from 2.8 in 1999 to 5.0 in 2001 (APC, 35.3 [20.6 to 44.5]), after which it steadily increased to 9.4 in 2019 (APC 3.1, [2.7 to 3.5]), and sharply increased to 13.9 in 2021 (APC 22.3; 95% CI 15.1 to 26.4). Men had consistently higher AAMRs than women from 1999 (AAMR men: 3.6 vs women: 1.9) to 2021 (AAMR men: 18.9 vs women: 8.8). Non-Hispanic (NH) Black or African American young adults had the highest AAMR in 2020 (30.2), followed by NH American Indian/Alaska Natives (29.6), NH White (9.9), Hispanics or Latino (9.3) and NH Asian or Pacific Islanders (5.0). AAMR also varied substantially by region (overall AAMR: South 9.3; Midwest 6.4; West 5.8; Northeast 5.4), and rural areas had higher HTN-related mortality (8.5) than their urban counterparts (7.0). Figure 1.

Conclusion: Following a steady increase until 2019, HTN-related mortality increased among young adults between 2020 and 2021. The highest AAMRs were observed among men and Black or African American young adults, and people residing in the Southern and non-metropolitan areas. This emphasizes the necessity of tailored interventions to mitigate the burden and reduce the current disparities in HTN-related mortality among young adults in the U.S.