Association of Opium Usage with Blood Pressure and Fasting Blood Sugar Based on Fasa Adults Cohort Study Data
Authors
Kimia Deris 1, Mojtaba Farjam 2 , 3, Saeideh Zareei2, Maryam Kazemi 2 , 3
Affiliations
1 Student Research Committee, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran
2 Noncommunicable Diseases Research Center, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran
3 Clinical Research Development Unit, Vali-E Asr Hospital, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran
Abstract
Background: There is a belief that opium consumption has a protective effect on hypertension and diabetes, which are
important risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
Objectives: This study aimed to compare blood pressure and blood sugar measurements between opium users and non-users.
Methods: This cross-sectional study is based on the Fasa Adults Cohort Study (FACS). Participants from FACS who had no
history of diabetes or hypertension with medication were included in this study. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure as well as
fasting blood sugar (FBS) were compared between participants who use opium (regularly or ever) and those who do not, across
different sociodemographic characteristics such as sex, marital status, employment, smoking, and other variables such as age,
BMI, and physical activity. To control for the effect of confounders, a linear regression model was used in SPSS version 22.
Results: A total of 7,428 adults participated in this study. The mean age of participants was 46.5 years. Of the participants,
27.05% were opium users. The mean diastolic blood pressure was 73.18 mmHg in non-opium users, while it was 70.95 mmHg in
opium users (P = 0.000). The mean systolic blood pressure was 105.20 mmHg in opium users, compared to 107.78 mmHg in nonusers (P = 0.000). The mean fasting blood sugar was 86.75 mg/dL in non-opium users and 85.88 mg/dL in opium users (P = 0.019).
Lower blood pressure was observed in opium users despite higher fasting blood sugar levels.
Conclusions: After controlling for confounders such as age, sex, smoking, BMI, physical activity, and calorie intake, both
systolic and diastolic blood pressure were lower in opium users, while fasting blood sugar was higher. Given the numerous side
effects of opium, it should not be used arbitrarily. However, these findings could be useful when making clinical decisions for
diabetic or hypertensive individuals who are opium users.
Keywords: Fasting Blood Sugar, Opium User, Blood Pressure, Hypotension, Hypertension
