Pre-hypertension, pre-diabetes or both: which is best at predicting cardiovascular events in the long term?

  • 1Department of Cardiology, Interventional Cardiology Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
  • 2Department of Molecular Epidemiology, Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
  • 3Department of Cardiac Surgery, Imam Reza Hospital, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
  • 4Student Research Committee, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
  • 5Hypertension Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
  • 6Department of Epidemiology, Neurosciences Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
  • 7Department of Cardiology, Cardiac Rehabilitation Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
  • 8Department of Cardiology, Hypertension Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
  • 9Department of Cardiology, Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

Abstract

The present study aimed to assess the value of pre-diabetes and pre-hypertension in predicting cardiovascular events. A population-based, cross-sectional survey was conducted, representing a large sample of the general Iranian population aged 35 years and older from the Isfahan Province and determined using a random, multistage cluster-sampling 10-year cohort. The five end points considered as study outcome were unstable angina (UA), acute occurrence of myocardial infarction (MI), sudden cardiac death (SCD), brain stroke and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Of the 6323 subjects scheduled for assessment of diabetes state 617 were diabetics and 712 were pre-diabetic. In addition, of these subjects, 1754 had hypertension and 2500 had pre-hypertension. Analysing only pre-hypertension, pre-diabetes and its combination and adjusted for gender and age variables, pre-hypertension and pre-diabetes status together, could only effectively predict occurrence of MI (hazard ratio (HR)=3.21, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06-9.76, P=0.04). In the same COX regression models, pre-hypertension status could predict UA and CVD occurrence (HR=2.94, 95% CI: 1.68-5.14, P<0.001 and HR=1.74, 95% CI: 1.23-2.47, P=0.002, respectively). However, pre-diabetes status could not predict any of these events after adjustment for gender and age. Our data provide valuable evidence of the triggering role of pre-hypertension and pre-diabetes together, on appearance and progression of MI even in healthy individuals and the significant predicting value of pre-hypertension on the occurrence of UA and CVD. In this regard, the value of pre-hypertension and pre-diabetes together, and the pre-hypertension state alone, are clearly superior to pre-diabetes state alone in predicting cardiovascular events.

How to Cite

A Khosravi 1, M Gharipour 2, P Nezafati 3 4, Z Khosravi 5 6, M Sadeghi 7, A Khaledifar 8, M Taheri 8, J Golshahi 9, N Sarrafzadegan 9. Pre-hypertension, pre-diabetes or both: which is best at predicting cardiovascular events in the long term?. J Hum Hypertens. 2017 Jun;31(6):382-387. doi: 10.1038/jhh.2016.42. PMID:27334522.