Individual and Combined Cardiometabolic Morbidities and the Subsequent Risk of Cardiovascular Events in Chinese Adults

Abstract

Context: Diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia accelerates the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events. However, data regarding the association between main cardiometabolic morbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia and the subsequent risk of CVD events in Chinese adults are still limited.

Objective: To investigate the associations between individual and combined cardiometabolic morbidities and incident cardiovascular events in Chinese adults.

Methods: Baseline data were obtained from a prospective, nationwide, and population-based cohort study in China during 2011-2012. A total of 133 572 participants aged ≥40 years were included in the study. The main outcome measures were CVD events.

Results: Compared with participants without diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia, participants with only diabetes (hazard ratio [HR], 1.58; 95% CI, 1.32-1.90) or only hypertension (2.04; 1.82-2.28) exhibited significantly higher risk for CVD events, while participants with only dyslipidemia (0.97; 0.84-1.12) exhibited no significantly higher risk for CVD events. When analyzed collectively, participants with diabetes plus hypertension (HR, 2.67; 95% CI, 2.33-3.06), diabetes plus dyslipidemia (1.57; 1.32-1.87), and hypertension plus dyslipidemia (2.12; 1.88-2.39) exhibited significantly higher risk for CVD. Moreover, participants with the combination of diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia exhibited the highest risk for CVD events (HR, 3.06; 95% CI, 2.71-3.46). Multivariable-adjusted HRs (95% CIs) for CVD associated with diabetes based on fasting glucose ≥7.0 mmol/L, oral glucose tolerance test 2-hour glucose ≥11.1 mmol/L, and hemoglobin A1c ≥6.5% were 1.64 (1.51-1.78), 1.57 (1.45-1.69), and 1.54 (1.42-1.66), respectively; associated with hypertension based on systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg were 1.89 (1.76-2.03) and 1.74 (1.60-1.88), respectively; associated with dyslipidemia based on total cholesterol ≥6.22 mmol/L, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ≥4.14 mmol/L, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol <1.04 mmol/L, and triglycerides ≥2.26 mmol/L were 1.18 (1.08-1.30), 1.30 (1.17-1.44), 1.00 (0.92-1.09), and 1.10 (1.01-1.20), respectively.

Conclusion: Diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia showed additive associations with the risk of CVD events in middle-aged and elderly Chinese adults.

Keywords: Diabetes; cardiovascular events; combined cardiometabolic morbidities; dyslipidemia; hypertension.