Hypoadiponectinemia is associated with prehypertension in obese individuals of multiethnic origin

Considering that prehypertension is associated with an increase in cardiovascular risk, hypoadiponectinemia seems to be a predictor of hypertension.

This study investigated whether adiponectin plasma levels are affected in Brazilian obese prehypertensives compared with those in normotensives and hypertensives.

The study involved 96 multiethnic obese subjects (mean age = 42.8-11.9 years; BMI = 35.7-7.3 kg/m(2)). Fasting plasma adiponectin and serum insulin were determined by radioimmunoassay. Insulin resistance was estimated by HOMA-IR. Blood pressure was recorded using a calibrated automated sphygmomanometer.

Adiponectin concentrations were significantly lower in prehypertensives compared with those in normotensives, but hypertensives exhibited the lowest adiponectin concentrations of all. Regarding the values of HOMA-IR, both prehypertensives and hypertensives were significantly more insulin resistant when compared with normotensives. When normotensives and prehypertensives were classified according to the 50th percentile of adiponectin (< or = vs > 6.5 mg/ml) a logistic regression was performed to estimate the association of this adipokine with hypertension, the lower the plasma adiponectin values, the greater the association. A multivariate linear regression analysis adjusted for cardiometabolic factors showed that systolic blood pressure increased by 1.612 mm Hg for 1 microg/mL reduction in adiponectin plasma levels (P < 0.01).

Our findings have shown that hypoadiponectinemia is associated with prehypertension in obese individuals of multiethnic origin.