Hypertension

BP and BMI in Arterial Hypertension: What Is the Relationship?

Blood pressure increases with adipose tissue in patients with arterial hypertension and body mass index (BMI) above 25 kg/m2, according to the results of a recent study.

In an effort to investigate the relationship between blood pressure and nutritional status in patients with hypertension, researchers conducted a study involving 33 men with state 2 hypertension and without diabetes, kidney disease, and cancer.

The participants were divided into groups based on their BMI (group 1: BMI < 25kg/m2 [n=15], group 2: BMI ≥ 25kg/m2 [n=18]). Participants underwent measurement of nutritional status using anthropometry and bioimpedancemetry using an Omrom analyzer.

Systolic and diastolic blood pressure were 138 (111; 150) mm Hg and 91 (83; 96) mm Hg in group 1 and 145 (129; 151) mm Hg and 96 (88; 100) mm Hg in group 2, respectively. Fat tissue was 30.1% (25.1; 40.5) in group 1 and 35.2% (27.1; 41.4) in group 2. Overall, the researchers reported a medium correlation between systolic blood pressure and fat tissue in group 2.

“In patients with arterial hypertension and a body mass index above 25, an increase in fat mass is observed. Also, in this group of patients, the level of blood pressure increases with an increase in adipose tissue,” the researchers concluded.

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Boiko O, Rodionova V. The effect of nutritional status on the degree of arterial hypertension. CHEST. 2020. 158(4):Sup A1346. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2020.08.1222