Bodyweight

In Arterial Hypertension, BP Increases With Adipose Tissue

In patients with arterial hypertension and a body mass index (BMI) of 25 m/kg2 or higher, increased adipose tissue is associated with increased blood pressure, according to an abstract presented at the American College of Chest Physicians’ CHEST Annual Meeting 2020.

“Hypertension is one of the leading causes of death in the world,” the researchers wrote. “Adipose tissue is considered … an active endocrine organ that synthesizes a large number of hormones and neurotransmitters that activate systemic inflammation, hypoxia, contribute to the development of oxidative stress, atherogenesis, and a more severe course of hypertension.”

The study included 33 men with stage 2 hypertension but without diabetes, kidney disease, or cancer. The researchers divided participants into 1 of 2 groups according to their BMI: 15 patients had a BMI of less than 25 m/kg2, and 18 patients had a BMI of 25 m/kg2 or higher.

Patients with a BMI less than 25 m/kg2 had an average systolic blood pressure of 138 mm Hg, diastolic blood pressure of 91 mm Hg, fat tissue of 30.1%, and muscle tissue of 29.7%, according to the study.

In comparison, patients with a BMI of 25m/kg2 or higher had an average systolic blood pressure of 145 mm Hg, diastolic blood pressure of 96 mm Hg, fat tissue of 35.2%, and muscle tissue of 27.7%.

“A positive medium correlation was found between systolic blood pressure and fat tissue,” researchers reported, in participants with a BMI of 25 m/kg2 or higher.

 

—Jolynn Tumolo

 

Reference:

Boiko O, Rodionova V. The effect of nutritional status on the degree of arterial hypertension. Paper presented at: CHEST Annual Meeting 2020; October 18-21, 2020; Virtual. Accessed November 11, 2020. https://journal.chestnet.org/article/S0012-3692(20)33408-5/fulltext