Exploring the Linear and Non-linear Association Between BMI and Night-Time Blood Pressure Variability

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Hypertension Research
• Obesity Medicine

Background:

• The established link between obesity and elevated blood pressure (BP) is significant.
• However, the specific impact of obesity on night-time BP and BP variability (BPV) remains under-examined.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between obesity and night-time BP and BPV.
• To elucidate the cardiovascular implications of obesity during sleep.

Main Methods:

• Utilized ambulatory BP monitoring and anthropometric data from 6,767 adults.
• Categorized participants into normal weight, overweight, and obesity based on Body Mass Index (BMI).
• Analyzed BP variability using standard deviation (SD) and coefficient of variation (CV).

Main Results:

• Adjusted analyses confirmed that higher BMI significantly correlates with elevated night-time systolic and diastolic BP.
• Obesity was significantly associated with increased night-time systolic and diastolic BPV (SD and CV).
• Restricted cubic spline models indicated a significant joint effect on BPV indices, with a trend towards non-linearity for systolic BPV.

Conclusions:

• The findings highlight a significant relationship between obesity and adverse night-time BP and BPV patterns.
• These results offer novel insights into obesity's detrimental effects on the cardiovascular system, especially during nocturnal hours.