Abstract
Objective: Individuals with impaired lung function tend to have an elevated risk of cardiovascular events but the nature of a relationship between impaired lung function and hypertension is poorly understood. We therefore analyzed a relationship between hypertension and lung function.
Methods: In order to assess a relationship between low lung function and development of hypertension, we retrospectively studied 2,643 non hypertensive males who had a health check-up in our health check-up division in 1997 and at least one more health check-up from 1998 to 2006. We assumed that those whose systolic pressure was over 140 mmHg, diastolic pressure was over 90 mmHg or who were taking a hypertensive drug had become hypertensive in the follow-up years. We analyzed which of 8 risk factors (age, BMI, high normal pressure, lipid disorders, diabetes, alcohol drinking, smoking, low lung function) in 1997 predicted the development of hypertension. Low lung function is determined from percentage forced expiratory volume in one second (%FEV1). To analyze how the 8 risk factors affected the development of hypertension, we used univariate and multivariate logistic models.
Results: A total of 422 subjects became hypertensive during the observation period. Age, BMI, high normal pressure, lipid disorders, diabetes, smoking, and low lung function were significant factors in univariate analysis. Age, BMI, high normal pressure and low lung function were significant in multivariate analysis.
Conclusions: The findings of this study suggested that low lung function is a risk factor of hypertension.
