Hypertension, Arterial Stiffness Linked to Risk for Diabetes

MONDAY, May 16, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Hypertension and arterial stiffness (AS) are associated with the risk for diabetes, with the highest risk seen for those with both hypertension and AS, according to a study published online May 16 in Hypertension.

Xue Tian, from Beijing Tiantan Hospital, and colleagues conducted a prospective cohort study involving 11,156 participants from the Kailuan study to examine the status of hypertension and AS in determining diabetes. The risk for diabetes was compared among individuals with normotension with normal AS (ideal vascular function), normotension with elevated AS, hypertension with normal AS, and hypertension with elevated AS.

The researchers found that diabetes occurred in 768 participants after a median follow-up of 6.16 years. Compared with those with ideal vascular function, the risk for diabetes was increased for those with hypertension with elevated AS, normotension with elevated AS, and hypertension with normal AS (hazard ratios, 2.42, 2.11, and 1.48, respectively). Similar results were seen in multiple sensitivity and subgroup analyses. The addition of AS to a conventional model including traditional risk factors had a higher incremental effect than the addition of hypertension on the predictive value for diabetes (C-statistic, 0.707 versus 0.695; integrated discrimination improvement, 0.65 versus 0.28 percent; net reclassification improvement, 40.48 versus 34.59 percent).

"These findings indicated that preventive strategies on hypertension and AS may also contribute to the prevention of diabetes," the authors write.

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