Association between Life's essential 8 and mortality among individuals with hypertension

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Public Health
• Preventive Medicine

Background:

• The American Heart Association introduced the "Life's Essential 8" (LE8) score to assess cardiovascular health.
• Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality.
• Understanding the LE8 score's impact on mortality in hypertensive patients is crucial for public health strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between the total LE8 score and its individual components with all-cause and CVD mortality.
• To evaluate the LE8 score's predictive value for mortality risk in adults with hypertension.
• To identify specific LE8 metrics that most significantly influence mortality in this population.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from 10,556 hypertensive adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (2005-2018).
• Employed Cox regression analysis to assess the relationship between LE8 scores and mortality outcomes after a median follow-up of 6.75 years.
• Conducted subgroup analyses to explore the influence of individual LE8 metrics on mortality.

Main Results:

• Patients with high LE8 scores (≥75) exhibited significantly lower all-cause and CVD mortality rates (P < 0.001).
• High LE8 scores were linked to a 40% reduced risk of all-cause and CVD mortality compared to low scores.
• A linear inverse relationship was observed between LE8 score and mortality risk, with a potential threshold effect around 60 points.

Conclusions:

• The LE8 score is inversely correlated with all-cause and CVD mortality in hypertensive individuals.
• Interventions targeting LE8 components (diet, sleep, physical activity, blood glucose) may effectively reduce mortality in patients with hypertension.
• The LE8 score serves as a valuable tool for risk stratification and guiding preventive strategies in hypertensive populations.