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Body composition, ethnicity and alcohol consumption as determinants for the development of blood pressure in a birth cohort of young middle-aged men

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Abstract

Aim: To investigate the development of blood pressure (BP) determinants over a period of 6 years in a birth cohort of middle-aged Swedish men. Methods: Men born 1953 and 1954 living in Helsingborg, Southern Sweden, were surveyed at 37, 40 and 43 years of age. Baseline participation rate was 68% (n = 991). S-Cholesterol, HDL-Cholesterol, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP) and anthropomorphic measurements were collected and a questionnaire covering ethnicity, smoking, leisure time physical activity (LTPA) and alcohol consumption was completed. Results: At these surveys, SBP means were: 131, 132, 135 mm Hg and DBP were 83, 83 and 85 mm Hg respectively. Body mass index (BMI), waist hip ratio (WHR), S-Cholesterol and alcohol consumption consistently showed cross-sectional positive associations with SBP and DBP. One mmol/L higher S-Cholesterol at baseline predicted an increase in SBP by 1.16 mm Hg (confidence interval, CI: 0.25; 2.07) over 6 years. At age 40, there was a 4.4 mm Hg (p < 0.020) difference in SBP and a 2.64 mm Hg (p < 0.056) difference in DBP means between the low and high alcohol consumption. Corresponding differences at age 43 were SBP 5.28 mm Hg (p < 0.023) and DBP 5.4 mm Hg (p < 0.000). Men born in Sweden had a higher baseline SBP (Δ = 4 mm Hg, CI: 2.11; 6.35) and showed a higher 6 year increase in SBP (2.80 mm Hg CI: 0.07; 5.53) than men born abroad. Conclusions: Body composition, ethnicity and alcohol consumption are strong determinants for the development of BP. These findings have to be considered in strategies for primary prevention of hypertension in younger middle-aged men.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Community Medicine, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden

    Karin Maria Henriksson, Ulf Lindblad, Bo Gullberg & Lennart Råstam

  2. Skaraborg Institute, Skövde, Sweden

    Ulf Lindblad

  3. Internal Medicine, Helsingborg County Hospital, Sweden

    Bo Ågren

  4. Clinical Chemistry, Lund University, Lund, Sweden

    Peter Nilsson-Ehle

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  1. Karin Maria Henriksson
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  2. Ulf Lindblad
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  4. Bo Ågren
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  5. Peter Nilsson-Ehle
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Henriksson, K.M., Lindblad, U., Gullberg, B. et al. Body composition, ethnicity and alcohol consumption as determinants for the development of blood pressure in a birth cohort of young middle-aged men. Eur J Epidemiol 18, 955–963 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025851006527

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