Fasting Blood Glucose Predicts Incidence of Hypertension Independent of HbA1c Levels and Insulin Resistance in Middle-Aged Japanese: The Saku Study

Susceptibility to hypertension based on MTHFR rs1801133 single nucleotide polymorphism and MTHFR promoter methylation

Background

The aetio-pathologenesis of hypertension is multifactorial, encompassing genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. The combined effect of genetic and epigenetic changes on hypertension is not known. We evaluated the independent and interactive association of MTHFR rs1801133 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and MTHFR promoter methylation with hypertension among Taiwanese adults.

Methods

We retrieved data including, MTHFR promoter methylation, MTHFR rs1801133 genotypes (CC, CT, and TT), basic demography, personal lifestyle habits, and disease history of 1,238 individuals from the Taiwan Biobank (TWB).

Results

The distributions of hypertension and MTHFR promoter methylation quartiles (β < 0.1338, 0.1338 ≤ β < 0.1385, 0.1385 ≤ β < 0.1423, and β ≥ 0.1423 corresponding to

Conclusion

Independently, rs1801133 TT was associated with a higher risk of hypertension, but methylation was not. Based on genotypes, lower methylation was dose-dependently associated with a higher risk of hypertension in individuals with the CC genotype. Our findings suggest that MTHFR rs1801133 and MTHFR promoter methylation could jointly influence hypertension susceptibility.

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Key Words

• MTHFR
• hypertension
• interaction
• promoter methylation
• rs1801133
• susceptibility

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Affiliation(s)

Ming-Huang Chiu Department of Pulmonology and Respiratory Care, Cathay General Hospital, Taipei City, Taiwan
Chia-Hsiu Chang Cardiovascular Center, Cathay General Hospital, Taipei City, Taiwan
Disline Manli Tantoh Department of Medical Imaging, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung City, Taiwan Department of Public Health and Institute of Public Health, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung City, Taiwan
Tsui-Wen Hsu Superintendent Office, Institute of Medicine, Cathay General Hospital, Taipei City, Taiwan
Chih-Hsuan Hsiao Department of Public Health and Institute of Public Health, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung City, Taiwan
Ji-Han Zhong Department of Public Health and Institute of Public Health, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung City, Taiwan
Yung-Po Liaw Department of Medical Imaging, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung City, Taiwan Department of Public Health and Institute of Public Health, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung City, Taiwan Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung City, Taiwan

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Association between Arterial Hypertension and Laboratory Markers, Body Composition, Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Autonomic Parameters in Obese Patients

BACKGROUND

Systemic arterial hypertension (SAH) is a multifactorial disease, highly prevalent and associated with health risks.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between SAH and laboratory, anthropometric, heart rate variability (HRV), and obstructive sleep apnea markers and, secondarily, to analyze the sensitivity and specificity of the variables that are independent factors in the association.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study with 95 obese patients treated at an obesity referral clinic in Salvador, BA, Brazil. SAH data were obtained from electronic medical records. The sample was stratified in the Normotensive Group (NG) and the Hypertensive Group (HG), and laboratory markers, body composition, polysomnography, and HRV were measured to evaluate the association of SAH with the predictor variables. For the analysis, p<0.05 was adopted.

RESULTS

The average age of the NG was 36.3 ± 10.1 and HG 40.4 ± 10.6 years; 73.7% were women in the NG and 57.9% in HG; 82.4% in HG had insulin resistance. In the multivarious logistics regression model with adjustments in age, sex, height, and oxyhemoglobin saturation, SAH was inversely associated with fasting plasma glucose mg/dL (odds ratio [OR] = 0.96; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.92-0.99) and visceral fat area (VFA) cm2(OR = 0.98; 95% CI = 0.97-0.99). The area under the VFA curve was 0.728; CI 95% (0.620-0.836); fasting plasma glucose 0.693;CI 95% (0.582-0.804).

CONCLUSIONS

Lower VFA and fasting plasma glucose concentrations were inversely associated with SAH. In addition, fasting plasma glucose and VFA showed a high sensitivity for SAH screening.

Association of hemoglobin A1c with the incidence of hypertension: A large prospective study

Background

Although hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is closely related to diabetes, its relationship with the incidence of hypertension is still unknown, so we aimed to evaluate the relationship between HbA1c and the incidence of hypertension in the general population.

Method

In this large prospective cohort study with a median follow-up of 2 years, we included 4,074 participants from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS). Multivariate COX regression, subgroup analysis, receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve and restricted cubic spline (RCS) were used to evaluate the relationship between HbA1c and incidental hypertension.

Results

Compared with participants without incident hypertension, participants with incident hypertension had higher levels of HbA1c (P < 0.05). In univariate COX regression analysis, HbA1c was associated with the risk of hypertension (HR: 1.161, 95% CI: 1.105-1.221, P < 0.001). In multivariate COX regression analysis adjusted for confounding variables, HbA1c was still closely related to the risk of hypertension (HR: 1.102, 95% CI: 1.006-1.206, P = 0.037). And subgroup analysis showed that the relationship between HbA1c and hypertension remained significant in female, lower than high school and non-obese subgroups (P < 0.05). ROC curve also showed that HbA1c could predict the risk of hypertension (AUC = 0.583, 95% CI: 0.568-0.598, P < 0.001). Further RCS analysis showed that HbA1c was positively correlated with the risk of hypertension (P for nonlinearity = 0.642).

Conclusion

HbA1c was linearly and positively associated with the incidence of hypertension.

Differences in the impact of impaired glucose status on clinical outcomes in younger and older adults: Over a decade of follow-up in the Tehran lipid and glucose study

Introduction

Studies found that the impact of dysglycemia on microvascular, macrovascular events and mortality outcomes were different between the younger vs. older population. We aimed to investigate the age-specific association of prediabetes with clinical outcomes including type 2 diabetes (T2DM), hypertension, chronic kidney disease (CKD), cardiovascular disease (CVD), and mortality.

Materials and methods

A total of 5,970 Iranians (3,829 women) aged ≥30 years, without T2DM, were included. The age-specific (<60 and ≥60 years; minimum p-value for interaction = 0.001) multivariable-adjusted Cox regression was done to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of the impaired glucose status including impaired fasting glucose (IFG) vs. normal fasting glucose (NFG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) vs. normal glucose tolerance (NGT), and IFG&IGT vs. NFG/NGT with each outcome.

Results

Among individuals aged ≥60 years, the prevalence of impaired glucose status (IFG, IGT, or both) was about 2 times higher compared to those aged <60. Age-specific association between prediabetes and incident hypertension was found for those aged <60 years; [HR (95% CI); IFG: 1.38 (1.16-1.65), IGT: 1.51 (1.26-1.81), and IFG&IGT: 1.62 (1.21-2.12)]. For CVD, in all impaired glycemic states, those aged <60 were at higher significant risk [IFG: 1.39 (1.09-1.77), IGT: 1.53 (1.19-1.97), and IFG&IGT: 1.60 (1.14-2.25)]. Stratified analyses showed similar associations for IFG and IGT with non-CV mortality 1.71 (1.04-2.80) and 2.12 (1.30-3.46), respectively, and for all-cause mortality among those aged <60 years [IFG: 1.63 (1.08-2.45) and IGT: 1.82 (1.20-2.76)]. In both age groups, all glycemic status groups were significantly associated with T2DM but not with CKD and CV mortality.

Conclusions

The high prevalence of prediabetes particularly among the elderly population, limited resources, and the observed significant age differences in the impact of prediabetes states on different clinical outcomes calls for multicomponent intervention strategies by policy health makers, including lifestyle and possible pharmacological therapy, with the priority for the young Iranian population.

HOMA-IR as a predictor of Health Outcomes in Patients with Metabolic Risk Factors: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION

There exists clinical interest in the following question: Is there an association between HOMA-IR and the risk of developing metabolic diseases?

AIMS

Assessing the association between high values of HOMA-IR with the incidence of T2DM, MACE, essential hypertension, dyslipidemia, NASH, and cancer in healthy participants and participants with a component of metabolic syndrome.

METHODS

Databases were searched by an experienced librarian to find eligible studies. Observational cohort studies enrolling healthy adults and adults with metabolic syndrome components that evaluated HOMA as a marker of IR were considered for inclusion. Eligibility assessment, data extraction and risk of bias assessment were performed independently and in duplicate. Baseline characteristics of patients, cutoff values of HOMA-IR to predict metabolic events were extracted independently and in duplicate.

RESULTS

38 studies (215,878 participants) proved eligible. A higher HOMA-IR value had a significant effect on the risk of developing T2DM (HR 1.87; CI 1.40-2.49), presenting non-fatal MACE (HR 1.46; CI 1.08-1.97) and hypertension (HR 1.35; CI 1.15-1.59). No association was found regarding cancer mortality and fatal MACE with higher HOMA-IR values, there was not enough information to carry out a meta-analysis to establish an association between higher values of HOMA with cancer incidence, dyslipidemia, and NASH.

CONCLUSIONS

High values of HOMA were associated with an increased risk of diabetes, hypertension, and non-fatal MACE; yet, not for cardiovascular or cancer mortality. More research is needed to determine the value of the HOMA index in metabolic and cardiovascular outcomes.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42020187645.

Development and validation of prediction models for hypertension risks: A cross-sectional study based on 4,287,407 participants

Objective

To develop an optimal screening model to identify the individuals with a high risk of hypertension in China by comparing tree-based machine learning models, such as classification and regression tree, random forest, adaboost with a decision tree, extreme gradient boosting decision tree, and other machine learning models like an artificial neural network, naive Bayes, and traditional logistic regression models.

Methods

A total of 4,287,407 adults participating in the national physical examination were included in the study. Features were selected using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression. The Borderline synthetic minority over-sampling technique was used for data balance. Non-laboratory and semi-laboratory analyses were carried out in combination with the selected features. The tree-based machine learning models, other machine learning models, and traditional logistic regression models were constructed to identify individuals with hypertension, respectively. Top features selected using the best algorithm and the corresponding variable importance score were visualized.

Results

A total of 24 variables were finally included for analyses after the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression model. The sample size of hypertensive patients in the training set was expanded from 689,025 to 2,312,160 using the borderline synthetic minority over-sampling technique algorithm. The extreme gradient boosting decision tree algorithm showed the best results (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of non-laboratory: 0.893 and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of semi-laboratory: 0.894). This study found that age, systolic blood pressure, waist circumference, diastolic blood pressure, albumin, drinking frequency, electrocardiogram, ethnicity (uyghur, hui, and other), body mass index, sex (female), exercise frequency, diabetes mellitus, and total bilirubin are important factors reflecting hypertension. Besides, some algorithms included in the semi-laboratory analyses showed less improvement in the predictive performance compared to the non-laboratory analyses.

Conclusion

Using multiple methods, a more significant prediction model can be built, which discovers risk factors and provides new insights into the prediction and prevention of hypertension.

Association of home and office systolic and diastolic hypertension with glucose metabolism in a general population: the Ohasama study

OBJECTIVE

This study was performed to investigate the association of hypertension subtypes with glucose metabolism among the Japanese general population.

METHODS

The study involved 646 residents (mean age: 62.4 years) without treatment for hypertension or a history of diabetes from Ohasama, a rural Japanese community, who underwent an oral glucose tolerance test. Hypertension subtypes [normotension, isolated systolic hypertension (ISH), isolated diastolic hypertension (IDH), and systolic and diastolic hypertension (SDH)] were defined on the basis of home and office SBP and DBP (HBP and OBP, respectively). The estimated means of blood glucose related indices among the groups were compared by analysis of covariance adjusted for possible confounding factors.

RESULTS

Blood glucose related indices were not different among the morning HBP-defined hypertension subtypes. Participants with evening HBP-defined ISH had a significantly higher estimated mean BG at 120 min, higher homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and lower Matsuda-DeFronzo index than participants with NT (all P < 0.021). Participants with OBP-defined SDH had a significantly higher estimated mean fasting blood glucose; blood glucose at 30, 60 and 120 min; and HOMA-IR and a lower Matsuda-DeFronzo index than participants with NT (all P < 0.0025).

CONCLUSION

The blood glucose related indices were different among hypertension subtypes. Participants with evening HBP-defined ISH and OBP-defined SDH had higher blood glucose levels and insulin resistance than participants with correspondingly defined normotension, while those with morning HBP did not. These findings suggest the importance of measuring evening HBP and office blood pressure for early detection of coexisting hypertension and diabetes.

Effects of aerobic and resistance exercise on glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) concentrations in non-diabetic Taiwanese individuals based on the waist-hip ratio

Background

Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) reflects the average blood sugar over the past eight to twelve weeks. Several demographic and lifestyle factors are known to affect HbA1c levels. We evaluated the association of HbA1c with aerobic and resistance exercise in non-diabetic Taiwanese adults based on the waist-hip ratio (WHR).

Methods

We conducted this study based on TWB data collected from 90,958 individuals between 2008 and 2019. We estimated the Beta (β) coefficient and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for HbA1c using multivariate regression models.

Results

Based on the multivariate analysis, lower HbA1c levels were associated with both resistance exercise (β-coefficient = -0.027, 95% CI -0.037 to -0.017) and aerobic exercise (β-coefficient = 0.018, 95% CI, -0.023 to -0.013). Higher HbA1c levels were associated with abnormal WHR compared to normal WHR (β-coefficient = 0.091, 95% CI, 0.086 to 0.096). We detected an interaction between exercise and WHR (p for interaction = 0.0181). To determine the magnitude of the interaction, we performed additional analyses (with the reference group being ’abnormal WHR with no exercise’) and observed substantial decreases in HbA1c regardless of the WHR and exercise category. However, the largest reduction occurred in the ’normal WHR and resistance exercise’ group (β = -0.121, 95% CI, -0.132 to -0.109).

Conclusions

We found that normal resistance exercise, coupled with a normal WHR was significantly associated with lower HbA1c levels among non-diabetic individuals in Taiwan.

Association of fasting plasma glucose change trajectory and risk of hypertension: a cohort study in China

We aimed to assess the association between fasting plasma glucose (FPG) change trajectory and incident hypertension among Chinese population. This cohort study included 11,791 adults aged 18-80 years without hypertension at first entry and who completed at least four follow-ups between 2009 and 2016. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs for the association between FPG change trajectory and probability of hypertension. During a median follow-up of 5.10 years (total person-years 61,887.76), hypertension developed in 2177 participants. After adjusting for baseline potential confounders, the probability of hypertension increased with the increasing FPG change trajectory (adjusted OR (aOR) 1.22, 95% CI 1.07-1.40), bell-shape trajectory (aOR 1.15, 95% CI 1.02-1.30) and other-shape trajectory (aOR 1.13, 95% CI 1.02-1.25) which showed a higher variability of FPG compared to the decreasing group. In addition, the increasing FPG change trajectory was associated with a higher probability of hypertension compared with the decreasing group regardless of age and BMI but was only significant in males and in those with normal FPG at baseline. Our study indicates that the increasing FPG change trajectory determines the highest risk of hypertension, demonstrating the importance of maintaining low and stable levels of FPG, especially in males and in those with normal FPG.

The Metabolic Score for Insulin Resistance (METS-IR) as a Predictor of Incident Ischemic Heart Disease: A Longitudinal Study among Korean without Diabetes

The metabolic score for insulin resistance (METS-IR) is a novel noninsulin-based marker for assessing the risk of insulin resistance and cardiometabolic risk. However, whether METS-IR is associated with incident ischemic heart disease (IHD) risk is not well known. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the longitudinal effect of METS-IR on incident IHD risk in a large cohort of Korean adults without diabetes. Data were assessed from 17,943 participants without diabetes from the Health Risk Assessment Study (HERAS) and Korea Health Insurance Review and Assessment (HIRA) data. The participants were divided into four groups according to METS-IR index quartiles: (ln ((2 × fasting plasma glucose) + triglyceride) × body mass index)/(ln (HDL-cholesterol)). We prospectively assessed hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for IHD using multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression models over a 50-month period. During the follow-up period, 332 participants (1.9%) developed IHD. HRs of IHD for METS-IR quartiles 1-4 were 1.00, were 1.62 (95% CI 1.04-2.53), 1.87 (95% CI 1.20-2.91), and 2.11 (95% CI 1.35-3.30), respectively, after adjusting for potential confounding variables. A higher METS-IR precedes future IHD among Koreans without diabetes. Moreover, compared with metabolic syndrome, METS-IR had a better predictive value for IHD.

Health improvement framework for actionable treatment planning using a surrogate Bayesian model

Clinical decision-making regarding treatments based on personal characteristics leads to effective health improvements. Machine learning (ML) has been the primary concern of diagnosis support according to comprehensive patient information. A prominent issue is the development of objective treatment processes in clinical situations. This study proposes a framework to plan treatment processes in a data-driven manner. A key point of the framework is the evaluation of the actionability for personal health improvements by using a surrogate Bayesian model in addition to a high-performance nonlinear ML model. We first evaluate the framework from the viewpoint of its methodology using a synthetic dataset. Subsequently, the framework is applied to an actual health checkup dataset comprising data from 3132 participants, to lower systolic blood pressure and risk of chronic kidney disease at the individual level. We confirm that the computed treatment processes are actionable and consistent with clinical knowledge for improving these values. We also show that the improvement processes presented by the framework can be clinically informative. These results demonstrate that our framework can contribute toward decision-making in the medical field, providing clinicians with deeper insights.

Fasting Blood Glucose and 2-h Postprandial Blood Glucose Predict Hypertension: A Report from the REACTION Study

INTRODUCTION

Although diabetes is associated with hypertension, whether high blood glucose levels promote hypertension remains controversial. In this study we compared the predictive power of fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2-h postprandial blood glucose (2hPG), and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) for the development of hypertension.

METHODS

This study was a substudy of the REACTION study, an ongoing longitudinal cohort study investigating the relationship of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes with the risk of cancer in an urban Northern Chinese population in Beijing. Logistic regression analysis was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) after adjustment for risk factors for hypertension, including age, sex, body mass index, and triglycerides.

RESULTS

Among the 3437 participants, 497 developed hypertension during the 4-year follow-up. The logistic regression analysis showed that elevated FPG and 2hPG levels (FPG: OR 1.529; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.348-1.735; 2hPG: OR 1.144; 95% CI 1.100-1.191), but not HbA1c, were independent risk factors for the development of hypertension. In the highest quartile of FPG and 2hPG levels, the multivariable-corrected ORs were 2.115 (95% CI 1.612-2.777) and 2.346 (95% CI 1.787-3.080), respectively, compared with the lowest quartile. The adjusted models showed no significant correlations between quartile HbA1c levels and the development of hypertension.

CONCLUSION

Higher FPG and 2hPG levels, but not HbA1c levels, are independent risk factors for developing hypertension in an urban Northern Chinese population.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01206869.

Hyperosmolarity and Increased Serum Sodium Concentration Are Risks for Developing Hypertension Regardless of Salt Intake: A Five-Year Cohort Study in Japan

The potential contribution of serum osmolarity in the modulation of blood pressure has not been evaluated. This study was done to examine the relationship between hyperosmolarity and hypertension in a five-year longitudinal design. We enrolled 10,157 normotensive subjects without diabetes who developed hypertension subsequently as determined by annual medical examination in St. Luke's International Hospital, Tokyo, between 2004 and 2009. High salt intake was defined as >12 g/day by a self-answered questionnaire and hyperosmolarity was defined as >293 mOsm/L serum osmolarity, calculated using serum sodium, fasting blood glucose, and blood urea nitrogen. Statistical analyses included adjustments for age, gender, body mass index, smoking, drinking alcohol, dyslipidemia, hyperuricemia, and chronic kidney disease. In the patients with normal osmolarity, the group with high salt intake had a higher cumulative incidence of hypertension than the group with normal salt intake (8.4% versus 6.7%, p = 0.023). In contrast, in the patients with high osmolarity, the cumulative incidence of hypertension was similar in the group with high salt intake and in the group with normal salt intake (13.1% versus 12.9%, p = 0.84). The patients with hyperosmolarity had a higher incidence of hypertension over five years compared to that of the normal osmolarity group (p < 0.001). After multiple adjustments, elevated osmolarity was an independent risk for developing hypertension (OR (odds ratio), 1.025; 95% CI (confidence interval), 1.006-1.044), regardless of the amount of salt intake. When analyzed in relation to each element of calculated osmolarity, serum sodium and fasting blood glucose were independent risks for developing hypertension. Our results suggest that hyperosmolarity is a risk for developing hypertension regardless of salt intake.