Associations of cardiovascular risk factors with prehypertension and hypertension in women

The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationships of cardiovascular risk factors with prehypertension and hypertension in women. Japanese women (35-54 years old, n = 9939) were divided by blood pressure into normotensive, prehypertensive and hypertensive groups. Odds ratios (ORs) for prehypertension and hypertension were calculated after adjustment for confounding factors such as age, smoking, alcohol intake, habitual exercise, body mass index (BMI), and/or therapy for dyslipidemia or diabetes. ORs of light drinkers and heavy drinkers vs non-drinkers for prehypertension and hypertension were significantly higher than a reference level of 1.00, whereas ORs for prehypertension and hypertension of smokers vs non-smokers were significantly lower than the reference level. ORs of the obese group (high BMI or waist-to-height ratio) vs the non-obese group for prehypertension and hypertension were significantly higher than the reference level. ORs for prehypertension and hypertension of the subject group with vs without high triglycerides or low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol were significantly higher than the reference level. Thus, obesity, alcohol drinking and dyslipidemias such as high triglycerides and high LDL-cholesterol are associated with prehypertension and hypertension in women. Interventional studies on whether correction of obesity and dyslipidemias and restriction of alcohol consumption are beneficial for prevention of prehypertension and hypertension in women need to be carried out.