Association of neck circumference and high blood pressure in children and adolescents: a case-control study.

Renata Kuciene,Jurate Medzioniene,Virginija Dulskiene

doi:10.1186/s12887-015-0444-2

Renata Kuciene, Jurate Medzioniene + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-015-0444-2

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Journal: BMC Pediatrics	Publication Date: Sep 17, 2015
Citations: 65	License type: cc-by

Affiliation: Lithuanian University of Health Sciences

Abstract

BackgroundHigh blood pressure (BP) is a serious, common and growing global public health problem. The aim of this study was to evaluate the associations between high NC (neck circumference) alone and in combinations with BMI (body mass index), WC (waist circumference), and high BP among Lithuanian children and adolescents aged 12 to 15 years.MethodsAn epidemiological case–control study was performed between May 2012 and November 2013. NC, WC, hip circumference (HC), mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), body height, weight, and BP were measured. The participants with high BP (≥90th percentile) were screened on two separate occasions. Data on NC, WC, HC, MUAC, BMI, body adiposity index (BAI), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and BP were analyzed in 1947 children and adolescents aged 12–15 years. Age- and sex-adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with 95 % confidence intervals (CI) for the associations were estimated using multivariate logistic regression models.ResultsThe prevalence rates of prehypertension (BP ≥90th– < 95th percentile) and hypertension (BP ≥95th percentile) was 6.3 and 25.1 %, respectively. The overall prevalence of high NC (if NC was in the ≥90th percentile), overweight/obesity (as measured by BMI), and abdominal overweight/obesity (if WC was in the ≥75th percentile) were 14.3, 15.8, and 13 %, respectively. After adjustment for age and sex, NC in the ≥90th percentile was significantly associated with an increased risk of elevated BP (prehypertension: aOR = 2.99; 95 % CI, 1.88–4.77; hypertension aOR = 4.05; 95 % CI, 3.03–5.41, and prehypertension/hypertension aOR = 3.75; 95 % CI, 2.86–4.91), compared to the participants with NC in the <90th percentile. Overweight/obesity and abdominal overweight/obesity were also significantly associated with an elevated BP. The combinations including both risk factors (high NC with overweight/obesity, and high NC with abdominal overweight/obesity) showed higher aORs than those with either risk factor alone.ConclusionsHigh NC alone—but particularly in combinations with overweight/obesity and abdominal overweight/obesity—was associated with an increased risk of high BP.

Highlights

High blood pressure (BP) is a serious, common and growing global public health problem
A review of recent meta-analytic studies has shown that general obesity measured by Body mass index (BMI), and central or abdominal obesity measured by anthropometric indices such as Waist circumference (WC), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) are associated with a risk of such cardio-metabolic outcomes as hypertension, dyslipidaemia, fasting plasma glucose concentrations, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality [9]
The results of the current study showed that WC equal to or above the 75th percentile was significantly associated with an increased risk of high BP

Summary

Introduction

High blood pressure (BP) is a serious, common and growing global public health problem. The aim of this study was to evaluate the associations between high NC (neck circumference) alone and in combinations with BMI (body mass index), WC (waist circumference), and high BP among Lithuanian children and adolescents aged 12 to 15 years. Epidemiological studies have reported that the prevalence of high blood pressure (BP) has significantly increased among children and adolescents in recent years [1,2,3]. A review of recent meta-analytic studies has shown that general obesity measured by BMI (body mass index), and central or abdominal obesity measured by anthropometric indices such as WC (waist circumference), WHtR (waist-to-height ratio), and WHR (waist-tohip ratio) are associated with a risk of such cardio-metabolic outcomes as hypertension, dyslipidaemia, fasting plasma glucose concentrations, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality [9]. Few epidemiological studies have examined the associations between high NC and high BP in children and adolescents [17,18,19]

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