High-normal blood pressure is associated with a cluster of cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors: a population-based study

Objective A Few population-based studies have shown that high-normal blood pressure clusters with other cardiovascular risk factors. Increased inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and reduced adiponectin values have sporadically been reported in these patients. Methods We cross-sectionally compared blood pressure categories with cardiovascular risk factors in an adult population-based cohort (n = 1658) and evaluated the relationships between C-reactive-protein, nitrotyrosine, total antioxidant status, E-selectin, vascular adhesion molecule-1, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, resistin, adiponectin values and blood pressure categories in a subgroup of healthy lean individuals from this cohort (n = 107) in order to exclude the impact of obesity/insulin resistance on these variables. Results Glucose, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, alanine aminotranferase, gamma-glutamyl transferase values, and diabetes and metabolic syndrome prevalence were significantly higher in high-normal compared with the optimal blood pressure category. In the healthy subgroup, adiponectin (beta = -4315.3; 95% confidence interval -5916.4 -2654.2), total antioxidant status (-0.15; -0.3 -0.04) were significantly lower, and nitrotyrosine (1.2; 0.3 2.1), E-selectin (11.7; 1.8 21.6), vascular adhesion molecule-1 (0.3; 0.1 0.5), and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 ( 0.3; 0.1 0.5) were higher in high-normal compared with the optimal blood pressure category, at multiple regression analyses. Conclusions Individuals with high-normal blood pressure had a higher prevalence of cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors than those with optimal, and, even if healthy, they showed reduced adiponectin values, early signs of endothelial dysfunction, and oxidative stress. Further research is needed to determine whether they will benefit from blood pressure reduction. J Hypertens 27: 102-108 (C) 2009 Wolters Kluwer Health vertical bar Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.