Association of body mass index with systolic and diastolic blood pressure in rural Indians

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Body mass index (BMI) is positively and independently associated with morbidity and mortality from hypertension, cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes mellitus, and other chronic diseases. In Caucasian and Asian populations, a strong association has been depicted between BMI and mortality. Globally, high blood pressure is estimated to cause 7.1 million deaths, about 13% of the total. About 62% of cerebrovascular disease and 49% of ischemic heart disease are attributable to suboptimal BP (systolic > 115 mm Hg). Overweight and obesity increase the risks of high BP, coronary heart disease, ischemic stroke, type II diabetes mellitus, and certain cancers. Worldwide, about 58% of diabetes mellitus and 21% of ischemic heart disease are attributable to BMI above 21 kg/m2. The combination of blood pressure and Body Mass Index (BMI) contribute more than 60% cases of cardiovascular disease. Purpose The main objective was to determine the correlation between BMI and systolic and diastolic blood pressure of rural Indian patients. Materials and Methods 310 patients who visited our hospital in rural India from January 15,2021 to February 15,2021 were included in this study and their systolic and diastolic blood pressure, weight and height were measured. BMI was calculated by weight in kilograms divided by square of height in meters. Using this, the patients were categorized as underweight (<18.5 kg/m2), normal or lean BMI (18.5–22.9 kg/m2), overweight (23.0 –24.9 kg/m2) and obese (≥25 kg/m2) based on the revised consensus guidelines for India. Descriptive analysis and Spearman correlation test were used to analyze the data. Results The results of the bivariate analysis using Spearman correlation test showed that there is significant relationship between BMI and systolic blood pressure (p < 0.001, r = 0.375) as well as BMI and diastolic blood pressure (p <0.001, r = 0.432). This study shows that as BMI increases both systolic and diastolic blood pressure increases. Conclusion This study shows statistically significant relationship between Body Mass Index (BMI) and systolic and diastolic blood pressure in rural Indian patients. Weight gain seems to be an important risk factor for development of hypertension. Weight loss has been recommended for obese hypertensive patients and has been shown to be most effective non pharmacological treatment approach. Physical activity and caloric restriction should be promoted to control the obesity epidemic which will significantly reduce global cardiovascular disease burden.