Nature or nurture; BMI and blood pressure at 90. Findings from the Belfast Elderly Longitudinal Free-living Aging STudy (BELFAST).
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.
Rea
I Maeve
IM
Department of Geriatric Medicine,The Queen’s University Belfast,Whitla Medical Building,Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK. i.rea@qub.ac.uk
Myint
Phyo K
PK
Mueller
Heiko
H
Murphy
Anne
A
Archbold
G Pooler R
GP
McNulty
Helene
H
Patterson
Chris C
CC
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
D012964:Sodium