Markers of iron status, blood pressure and incident hypertension among Chinese adults

Background and aims: The evidence on the relationship between markers of iron, blood pressure and hypertension are limited and inconsistent. This prospective cohort study aimed to investigate the relationship of serum ferritin (SF), transferrin, soluble transferrin receptor (sTFR) and haemoglobin on blood pressure and incident hypertension in the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) study. Methods and results: We studied 8337 adults aged 18 years old or above from CHNS in 2009 to investigate the association of markers of iron and blood pressure (BP). Among them, 4509 non-hypertensive participants who completed follow up were included to investigate the association of markers of iron and hypertension development. Linear regression model was used to assess the association between markers of iron and BP. Cox regression model was used to examine the association of markers of iron and hypertension development. SF and serum sTFR concentration had a non-significant effect on incident hypertension. Transferrin and haemoglobin concentrations were positively associated with incident hypertension. Compared to the participants with the lowest tertile of transferrin, those with the highest tertile had a higher risk of developing hypertension [HR: 1.26, 95% CI (1.04, 1.53), P = 0.017]. Similarly, participants with the highest tertile of haemoglobin had a significantly higher risk of incident hypertension [HR: 1.27, 95% CI (1.01, 1.59), P = 0.038]. Conclusion: The current study found that haemoglobin and transferrin levels were positively associated with blood pressure and incident hypertension. Further research in different ethnic groups is required to confirm the association of the full range of markers of iron with BP and incident hypertension. (C) 2019 The Italian Society of Diabetology, the Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis, the Italian Society of Human Nutrition, and the Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.