title: Nature or nurture; BMI and blood pressure at 90. Findings from the Belfast Elderly Longitudinal Free-living Aging STudy (BELFAST).
abstract: Hypertension is a key risk factor for stroke, cardiovascular disease and dementia. Although the link between weight, sodium and hypertension is established in younger people, little is known about their inter-relationship in people beyond 80 years of age. Associations between blood pressure, anthropometric indices and sodium were investigated in 495 apparently healthy, community-living participants (age 90, SD 4.8; range 80–106), from the cross-sectional Belfast Elderly Longitudinal Free-living Aging STudy (BELFAST) study. In age-sex-adjusted logistic regression models, blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg significantly associated with body mass index (BMI) [odds ratio (OR) = 1.28/ kg/m2], with weight (OR = 1.22/kg) approaching significance (P = 0.07). In further age-sex-adjusted models, blood pressure above the 120/80 mmHg normotensive reference value significantly associated with BMI (OR = 1.44/kg/m2), weight (OR = 1.36/kg), skin-fold-thickness (OR = 1.33/mm) and serum sodium (OR = 1.37 mmol/l). In BELFAST participants over 80 years old, blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg is associated with BMI, in apparently similar ways to younger groups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Medicine,The Queen’s University Belfast,Whitla Medical Building,Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK. i.rea@qub.ac.uk
authors.forename: I Maeve
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Rea
authors.forename: Phyo K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Myint
authors.forename: Heiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.forename: G Pooler R
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Archbold
authors.forename: Helene
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: McNulty
authors.forename: Chris C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Patterson
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D015994:Incidence; D007494:Ireland / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012016:Reference Values; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D012964:Sodium / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D012964:Sodium