Correlates and predictive models for blood pressure values in residents of two communities in Taiwan

Factors predicting systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were extensively studied in residents aged 18 years and above from 10 villages in two Taiwanese communities. In women, the associated factors identified included age, body mass index, waist/hip ratio (not selected as a factor for DBP), plasma uric acid, plasma chloride, urinary sodium/creatinine ratio, urinary calcium/creatinine ratio, education level, ancestral origin, parental hypertension status, and marital status. In men, the factors were age, body mass index, plasma triglyceride concentration, urinary sodium/creatinine ratio, smoking status, alcohol drinking status, parental hypertension status (not selected for DBP), and marital status (not selected for DBP). The degree of BP variation which could be significantly explained by the measured factors differed between SBP and DBP, and differed between men and women: 18% in men and 39% in women for SBP variation; 15% in men and 27% in women for DBP variation. Factors other than those included in the models should be explored, particularly for men. This study identifies, for Chinese populations, predictive factors of BP well-known in Western societies (BMI, urinary sodium, plasma uric acid, alcohol consumption) and factors less emphasized in other studies (plasma triglyceride and marital status). A positive association between BP and urinary Na, a lack of association between BP and urinary K, and opposite findings in the relationship between BP and the education level for men (positive relation) and women (negative relation) are worth noting.