Sex-specific association between asthma and hypertension in nationally representative young Korean adults

Hong Seok Lee,Seong-Su Lee,Soonjib Yoo,Kyungdo Han,Yong-Moon Park,Gerald Pekler,Sung Rae Kim

doi:10.1038/s41598-017-15722-w

Abstract

It has been reported that people with asthma have an increased risk of hypertension. However, little is known about the specific relationship between asthma and hypertension in young adults. Among subjects who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted in 2008–2013, a total of 10,138 young adults (4,226 men and 5,912 women) aged 19–39 years were analyzed. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The prevalence of ever asthma was 11.1% in men and 8.4% in women. The mean diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was lower in men with asthma than in men without asthma (p = 0.03), whereas the mean DBP was higher in women with asthma than in women without asthma (p = 0.04). Having asthma was inversely associated with hypertension in men (OR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.41–0.91). In contrast, having asthma was positively associated with hypertension in women (OR: 2.19, 95% CI: 1.19–4.02). Our results suggest that asthma pathophysiology might be differentially associated with hypertension in young adults depending on sex.

Highlights

Asthma is a public health burden in the United States[1] and in many Asian countries[1,2]
Women with ever asthma were more likely to have hypertension compared to women without asthma (OR: 2.19, 95% confidence intervals (CIs): 1.19–4.02). In this nationally representative cross-sectional study using Korean adults aged 19 to 40 years, a positive association between asthma and hypertension in women was found after adjusting for potential confounders
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first large and population-based study that investigated the relationship between asthma and hypertension among young adults depending on sex in an Asian population

Summary

Introduction

Asthma is a public health burden in the United States[1] and in many Asian countries[1,2]. Asthma is a multifactorial disease characterized by airway inflammation, smooth muscle cell proliferation-induced airway remodeling, and smooth muscle contraction[3]. It is often associated with various comorbidities such as rhinitis, sinusitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, obesity[4], obstructive sleep apnea[5,6], and hypertension[7]. Asthma accompanies systemic inflammation with an increased level of interleukin-6 that is related to risk of hypertension[10]. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between asthma and hypertension in young adults depending on sex by using a nationally representative sample

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion