Blood biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammation have been associated with increased risk of hypertension development; yet their application in sub-Saharan Africa has been limited due to the lack of blood collection facilities. In this study, we evaluated the usefulness of dried blood spots (DBS), a more feasible alternative to venous blood, in rural sub-Saharan residents. We recruited 342 women with incident hypertension from rural Senegal, and measured C-reactive protein (CRP) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in DBS and concurrent blood pressure (BP) at baseline and 1-year follow-up. Associations of DBS biomarkers with current levels of and 1-year changes in BP were examined after adjusting for demographic, medical, and socioeconomic covariates. DBS concentrations of MDA were significantly associated with concurrent systolic BP (SBP) (p < 0.05), while DBS baseline concentrations of CRP were associated with longitudinal changes in SBP between baseline and follow-up. Compared to participants with baseline CRP < 1 mg/L, those with CRP of 1-3 mg/L and 3-10 mg/L had 2.11 mmHg (95%CI: -2.79 to 7.02 mmHg) and 4.68 mmHg (95%CI: 0.01 to 9.36 mmHg) increases in SBP at follow-up, respectively. The results support the use of DBS biomarkers for hypertension prevention and control, especially in settings with limited clinical resources.
Keywords: biomarker; blood pressure; c-reactive protein; dried blood spot; hypertension; malondialdehyde.