Glucose intolerance in middle-aged subjects--a cause of hypertension?

At a health survey of 819 middle-aged, 47-54-year-old, males and females in a Swedish urban area with a participation rate of 70%, the prevalence of glucose intolerance (GI) was 6.2%, 51 subjects (7.0% of females and 5.3% of males), as the result of two subsequent 75 g oral glucose tolerance tests according to the WHO criteria. In comparison with normoglycemic subjects from the same health survey, with both fasting and 2-hour glucose values less than 5.0 mmol X l-1, the GI group was characterized by higher mean relative body mass index, higher mean blood pressure and rate of hypertension, higher rate of low-degree physical activity during leisure and had more often a family history of diabetes in first-degree relatives. Smoking was less prevalent in GI subjects. Hypertension was more frequent in obese (relative body mass index (BMI) 120-150%) GI subjects than NGT subjects. Finally, comparison of all GI subjects with all normoglycemic subjects of the survey, with use of analysis of covariance, showed that mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures were higher in GI subjects, independently of age, BMI and also smoking.