The association between hypertension and other cardiovascular risk factors among non-diabetic Saudis adults-A cross sectional study

PLoS One. 2021 Feb 23;16(2):e0246568. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246568. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

Population specific associations between cardiovascular disease with various risk factors including pre-hypertension and hypertension were reported. We aimed to investigate the association of higher than optimal blood pressure with measures of dysglycemia, dyslipidemia, and markers of inflammation in non-diabetic Saudi adults hoping to improve current Saudi guidelines to prevent cardiovascular disease. Volunteers were recruited randomly from public healthcare centers in Jeddah. Demographic information, blood pressure (BP), and anthropometric measurements were taken. Fasting blood samples were drawn, then again following 1-hour oral glucose tolerance test. Glycated hemoglobin, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), lipid profile, highly sensitive C- reactive protein, gamma glutamyl transferase, and 1-hour plasma glucose were measured. Complete data was found for 742 men and 592 women. Pre-hypertension was found in 47.2% of men, and 24.7% of women, while 15.1% of men, and 14.6% of women were hypertensive. Means of measured variables differed significantly between normotensive, pre-hypertensive, and hypertensive groups of men and women in gender specific manner. Association between measured variables and elevated BP, and hypertension were assessed using logistic regression models. After adjustment for age, body mass index and waist circumference, elevated blood pressure was associated with elevated triglycerides in men, while hypertension was significantly associated with elevated fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low density lipoprotein- cholesterol, and low high density lipoprotein- cholesterol in men, and elevated triglycerides, and total cholesterol in women. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to measure lipid profile, specifically TG, for all diagnosed pre-hypertensive and hypertensive patients in addition to FPG for men.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Blood Glucose / metabolism
  • Cardiovascular Diseases / blood
  • Cardiovascular Diseases / epidemiology*
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Humans
  • Hypertension / blood
  • Hypertension / epidemiology*
  • Male
  • Risk Factors
  • gamma-Glutamyltransferase / blood

Substances

  • Blood Glucose
  • gamma-Glutamyltransferase

Grants and funding

We would like to thank the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Abdulaziz University, for funding this work under grant number (2-140-1434- HiCi). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.