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Elevated blood pressure-associated cardiometabolic risk factors and biomarkers in 16–23 years old students with or without metabolic abnormalities

Journal of Human Hypertension volume 35, pages 37–48 (2021)Cite this article

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Abstract

In obesity, cardiometabolic risk markers show worsening trends with increasing blood pressure (BP). We assumed that risk markers show similar trends across BP categories (normotension, high normal BP, hypertension) in metabolic abnormalities-free subjects (without obesity, insulin resistance, atherogenic dyslipidemia, hyperuricemia, microinflammation) and those presenting them. Data from 2547 (48.1% males) subjects aged 16–23 years were analyzed. The prevalence of males increased across BP categories. Forty-seven percent of individuals with elevated BP were metabolic abnormalities-free. Among 1461 metabolic abnormalities-free subjects, 9% had high normal BP, and 4% hypertension; among 1086 individuals presenting metabolic abnormalities, the prevalence reached 13% and 6%, respectively, (p < 0.001). Both groups displayed similar BP values in corresponding BP categories and significant trends in markers of adiposity, insulin resistance, HDL-cholesterol, atherogenic index of plasma, uric acid, adiponectinemia, and antioxidant capacity of plasma across BP categories. In metabolic abnormalities-free individuals, also significant trends in soluble receptors for advanced glycation end products were revealed. Continuous metabolic syndrome score, a measure of cardiometabolic risk, increased across BP categories regardless of presence or absence of metabolic abnormalities. Multivariate regression models selected male gender, fat-free mass, and uric acid as significant independent predictors for determining BP. Our data emphasize that having a BP outside the normal range significantly worsens risk for cardiometabolic disease in young individuals even if the thresholds for any of the risk factors are not exceeded. Longitudinal studies are needed to assess whether in patients with elevated BP the prognosis of adverse outcomes differs between those presenting and not presenting metabolic abnormalities.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank all those who put their effort toward the accomplishment of the Respect for Health study.

Funding

This study was funded by the Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic and the Slovak Academy of Sciences (VEGA), grant no. 1/0637/13; the Slovak Research and Development Agency (APVV), grant no. 0447–12; and Bratislava Self-Governing Region. The sponsors had no role in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the article for publication.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Molecular BioMedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Sasinkova 4, 811 08, Bratislava, Slovakia

    Katarína Šebeková, Radana Gurecká, Melinda Csongová & Ivana Koborová

  2. Institute of Medical Physics, Biophysics, Informatics and Telemedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Sasinkova 2, 811 08, Bratislava, Slovakia

    Radana Gurecká

  3. Institute of Materials & Machine Mechanics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 13, Bratislava, Slovakia

    Jozef Šebek

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  1. Katarína Šebeková
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All authors were involved in developing the study concept, interpretation of results, editing, revising the article critically, and have approved the final version of this submission. RG, MCs and IK contributed to acquisition of data and helped to establish the database. JS undertook all the statistical analysis of the data. KS contributed to study design and wrote the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Katarína Šebeková.

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Šebeková, K., Gurecká, R., Csongová, M. et al. Elevated blood pressure-associated cardiometabolic risk factors and biomarkers in 16–23 years old students with or without metabolic abnormalities. J Hum Hypertens 35, 37–48 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41371-020-0309-5

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