The Association of Pulse Pressure and Pre-Metabolic Syndrome in Korean Middle Aged Men

Pulse pressure is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The aim of the present study was to assess the association between pulse pressure and metabolic syndrome in Korean men. The study subjects were 8,439 adults aged 40 to 64 years, who underwent health screening examination from January 2012 to December 2014 at the Health Promotion Center of one hospital in Gyeonggi-do for general health check-up. They include the metabolic syndrome absent group (Absent, n=3,078), the pre-metabolic syndrome group (Pre-MetS, n=4,242) and the metabolic syndrome group (MetS, n=1,119). Progressive increase in pulse pressure was demonstrated for increasing components of the metabolic syndrome (P<0.001). The pulse pressure according to the degree of the metabolic syndrome was higher in the pre-MetS and MetS groups compared to the Absent group (P<0.001). Systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglyceride, fasting glucose, and abdominal obesity positively correlated with pulse pressure (P<0.001).