Glucose tolerance in middle-aged Japanese males with uncomplicated hypertension

Plasma glucose levels in 50 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) were compared between uncomplicated hypertensives (n = 507, mean age = 48 +/- 0.3 years) and normotensives (n = 378, mean age = 46 +/- 0.3 years). The subjects were selected in a systematic way from 10,120 male employees in a work-site population in Japan. None of hypertensives took any antihypertensive drugs. Plasma glucose levels at each time point of OGTT were significantly higher in the hypertensives than in the normotensives when the differences in age, obesity, and other factors that might influence glucose metabolism were adjusted, using multiple linear regression analysis. Similarly, multiple regression analysis for subjects including both normotensives and hypertensives revealed a significant relationship between plasma glucose levels and blood pressure, which was independent of age and body mass index. These findings indicate a more direct association between hypertension and hyperglycemia, which is not mediated via aging or obesity.