Reduced tongue pressure and platelet count in relation to hypertension among community dwelling elderly Japanese subjects

Abstract

Background: Age-related disruption of the microvascular endothelium exacerbates hypertension and sarcopenia. Reduced maximum voluntary tongue pressure against the palate (MTP) is known to be associated with sarcopenia. On the other hand, elevated platelet count acts as an indicator of active endothelial repair. However, no studies have reported the association between reduced MTP and platelet count in the context of hypertension status. To evaluate the association between reduced MTP and platelet count, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 1,607 elderly Japanese who had undergone an annual health check from 2015 to 2016. Methods: Since hypertension should mask the beneficial effects of endothelial repair, subjects were stratified by hypertension status. Among the present study population, 876 subjects had hypertension. Reduced tongue pressure was defined as an MTP at or under the 20th percentile of the study population ( < 23.9kPa for men and < 21.8kPa for women). Results: Independent of known cardiovascular risk factors, a significant inverse association between platelets and reduced tongue pressure was seen among non-hypertensive, but not hypertensive, subjects. The fully adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of 1 standard deviation (SD) increment of platelet count (5.4×104/μL for men and 5.2×104 /μL for women) were 0.73 (0.60, 0.90) and 1.13 (0.94, 1.35) for non-hypertensive subjects and hypertensive subjects, respectively. Conclusions: Independent of known cardiovascular risk factors, platelet count is significantly inversely associated with reduced tongue pressure among elderly non-hypertensive Japanese subjects. This finding could be an efficient tool to clarify a part of mechanism underlying reduced tongue pressure.