Self-rated health and risk of incident cardiovascular events among individuals with hypertension

Background: The relationship between self-rated health (SRH) and cardiovascular events in individuals with hypertension, but without diabetes mellitus, is understudied. Methods: We performed a post hoc analysis of data from SPRINT (Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial). SRH was categorized into excellent, very good, good and fair/poor. Using multivariable Cox regression, we estimated hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association of SRH with both all-cause mortality and a composite of cardiovascular events (the primary outcome), which was defined to include myocardial infarction (MI), other acute coronary syndromes, stroke, acute decompensated heart failure, and cardiovascular death. Results: We included 9319 SPRINT participants (aged 67.9 ± 9 years, 35.6% women) with a median follow-up of 3.8 years. Compared with SRH of excellent, the risk [hazard ratio (95% CI)] of the primary outcome associated with very good, good, and fair/poor SRH was 1.11(0.78–1.56), 1.45 (1.03–2.05), and 1.87(1.28–2.75), respectively. Similarly, compared with SRH of excellent, the risk of all-cause mortality [hazard ratio (95% CI)] associated with very good, good, and fair/poor SRH was 1.13 (0.73–1.76), 1.72 (1.12–2.64), and 2.11 (1.32–3.38), respectively. Less favorable SRH (LF-SRH) was also associated with a higher risk of each component of the primary outcome and serious adverse events (SAE). Conclusion: Among individuals with hypertension, SRH is independently associated with the risk of incident cardiovascular events, all-cause mortality, and SAE. Our study suggest that guidelines should consider the potential significance of including SRH in the clinical history of patients with hypertension.