Association between body mass index and ten-year-accumulative-risk of hypertension

Abstract

To explore the association between body mass index (BMI) and ten-year accumulative risk of hypertension. A prospective study of relationship between blood pressure and other traditional risk factors was carried out in a cohort with 2115 people aged 35-64 years old involved, in 1992 and 2002. The association between baseline BMI level and a ten-year accumulative risk of hypertension was analyzed. The ten-year accumulative incidence rate of hypertension was 34.8%, and increased with the elevated baseline BMI level in both genders (P < 0.001). Similar changing trends were observed in both age groups of 45-54 year and 55-64 year olds (P < 0.05). Multivariable OR (95% CI) of accumulative incident hypertension in the highest BMI tertile ( > or =28 kg/m2) was 3.569 higher (2.559 to 4.977) when compared to the lowest ( <24 kg/m2n). The ten-year accumulative risk of hypertension increased 17.5% with elevation of baseline BMI level by 1 kg/m2. The ten-year accumulative incidence rate of hypertension was 22.0% in the subjects with normal BMI and 56.3% in those with obesity, both in 1992 and 2002. BMI appeared to be an independent risk factor for hypertension, and the risk of incident hypertension increased with elevated BMI level.