The relationship between Plasma Markers and Essential Hypertension in Middle-aged and Elderly Chinese Population: A Community Based Cross-sectional Study

Plasma markers have been continuously advocated as pointers to estimate the long-term risk of cardiovascular disease in the general population. We examined the relationship between plasma high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), homocysteine (Hcy), high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT), N-terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), 25-Hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD), glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and serum uric acid (SUA) levels and hypertension in middle and old aged population. A total of 2624 Chinese (62.02 +/- 5.73 years old) were recruited into a population-based, cross-sectional study. Plasma hs-CRP, Hcy, HbA1c, and SUA levels were significantly higher in the hypertension group compared with control in the entire population and men (P=0.05 for all). We observed a positive association between the highest quartiles of Hcy, NT-proBNP, HBA1c concentrations, and the prevalence of hypertension, OR (95% CI) = 1.48 (1.16-1.90), 1.62 (1.27-2.07) and 1.94 (1.49-2.52), respectively. The multivariable-adjusted OR of hypertension for the fourth versus the first quartile of homocysteine were 2.00 and 1.39 in men and women, respectively. In conclusion, our study found an independent and robust association between elevated Hcy, NT-ProBNP, and HBA1c levels and prevalence of hypertension in the middle-aged and elderly Chinese population. A follow-up study is necessary to endorse the observed association.