Obese individuals with hypertension required more medications to achieve similar BP (P=0.01), had less nocturnal dip (P=0.025), and had higher left ventricular mass index than those with normal BMI.
Cohort (n=1,114)
No
Does obesity in individuals with hypertension lead to more difficult-to-control blood pressure and increased end organ damage compared to nonobese counterparts?
Obese patients with hypertension require more medications for BP control, have less nocturnal dipping, and show greater left ventricular hypertrophy, indicating higher cardiovascular risk.
The authors assessed whether individuals with elevated body mass index (BMI) and hypertension had more difficult-to-control blood pressure (BP) and more evidence of end organ damage using data collected prospectively over 11 years from a secondary care hypertension clinic. A total of 1114 individuals were divided by BMI criteria into normal (n=207), overweight (n=440), and obese (n=467). Mean daytime, nighttime, and 24-hour systolic BP and diastolic BP were similar in all groups. There was less nocturnal dip in obese compared with overweight groups (P=.025). Individuals with a normal BMI were taking fewer antihypertensive medications than those in the obese group (P=.01). Individuals classified as obese had a higher left ventricular mass index than those with a normal BMI (female, P=.028; male, P<.001); this relationship remained after multivariate linear regression. Obese individuals with hypertension required more medication to achieve similar mean ambulatory BP values, had less nocturnal dip in BP, and had a higher prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy. As such, obese patients are at potentially increased risk of cardiovascular events.
Jesky et al. (Mon,) conducted a cohort in Hypertension (n=1,114). Elevated body mass index (obesity) vs. Normal body mass index was evaluated on Blood pressure control and end organ damage. Obese individuals with hypertension required more medications to achieve similar BP (P=0.01), had less nocturnal dip (P=0.025), and had higher left ventricular mass index than those with normal BMI.