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Higher BMI linked to increased BP
Many patients in China with increased BMI also had increased BP and CVD related events, according to findings recently published in JAMA Network Open.
“It is important to go beyond simple stratifications of a few demographic characteristics and investigate subgroups defined by their age, sex, race/ethnicity, geography, occupation, and other pertinent characteristics. To our knowledge, studies have not addressed how consistent the association between BMI and BP is across such a diversity of groups,” George C. Linderman, BS, of the Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Yale–New Haven Hospital, Yale University, and colleagues wrote.
Researchers collected data at one timepoint from 1.7 million adults aged 35 to 80 years (mean age, 55.7 years) from mainland China who were enrolled in the China PEACE (Patient-Centered Evaluative Assessment of Cardiac Events) Million Persons Project.
Linderman and colleagues also identified 22,000 subgroups of adults based on the covariates of age; educational level; history of stroke, household income; occupation; marital, smoking and antihypertension medication statuses; place of residence; race/ethnicity; and sex. The mean BMI among participants was 24.7 kg/m², mean systolic BP was 136.5 mm Hg and mean diastolic BP was 81.1 mm Hg.
Researchers found that the increase of BP per unit BMI ranged from 0.8 mm Hg to 1.7 mm Hg per kg/m² for 95% of the subgroups not taking antihypertensive medication, and that the association between BMI and BP was substantially weaker in subgroups of patients taking antihypertensive medication. In the untreated subgroups, 95% of the coefficients varied by less than 1 mm Hg per kg/m².
“The association between BP and BMI is positive in the general population and in tens of thousands of subgroups, suggesting that the trend of increasing BMI will be associated with the prevalence of hypertension across nearly all segments of the population. Treatment of BP alters this association and could play a critical role in mitigating the public health effect of increasing BMI, to complement public health measures,” they wrote.
The researchers suggested interventions should focus on keeping BMI low and providing better hypertension treatment. – by Janel Miller
Disclosures: Linderman reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the study for all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.