Arterial Hypertension and Insulin Resistance in Obese Patients

Objective: Diabetes and Hypertension are two of the most common conditions connected to obesity, the development of cardiovascular disease and higher mortality rates. However, the relationship of these two conditions remains unclear. Obesity is an independent risk factor for insulin resistance, a hallmark of prediabetes. The aim was to study insulin resistance in obese hypertensive patients. Design and method: 120 obese outpatients (BMI>30, 57% males) without Diabetes Mellitus (DM) when included in the study, where compared to 80 obese hypertensive patients (56% males), without DM. Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance Index (IR-HOMA) was used as an insulin resistance marker. Results: Hypertensive and obese patients showed a significant increase of IR-HOMA (5,17 vs 3,2 p=0,022), as well as increased fasting glucose, insulin and HBA1c levels, in contrast to obese normotensive patients. Conclusions: Hypertension may be another independent risk factor for DM in obese patients.