Gender peculiarities of interrelations between cardiovascular risk factors and development of prehypertension

Abstract

Currently it is proved that prehypertension characterizing the condition of individuals with blood pressure (BP) from 120/80 mm Hg to 139/89 mm Hg has a high, continuously increasing prevalence worldwide and is an independent risk factor for development of arterial hypertension and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, which justifies studying the relationship between prehypertension and the presence of other risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate gender features of the relationship between risk factors for cardiovascular disease and development of prehypertension. Methods. Comparative and correlation analyses of modifiable and non-modifiable cardiovascular risk factors were performed for 115 males (n = 49) and females (n = 66) aged 47.6 ± 0.7 with optimal BP (n = 63, BP < 120/80 mm Hg) or prehypertension (n = 52, AD = 120—139/80—89 mm Hg). Results. Men and women with optimal BP and prehypertension differed in the array of risk factors and the structure of relationship between the studied indices. In men, prehypertension was associated with an elevated blood creatinine and tobacco smoking whereas in women — with left ventricular hypertrophy, stress, and hereditary burden of hypertension. The development of prehypertension in women compared to men was characterized by more pronounced quantitative and qualitative changes in the structure of interrelationships between indices of the studied cardiovascular risk factors. Conclusion. The obtained results provide insight into pathogenetic mechanisms of prehypertension. They can be used for developing a strategy for individualized non-drug and drug prevention of hypertension based on elimination or reduction of certain cardiovas cular risk factors.