Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the body weight increased, the androgens, the insulin and the family history of hypertension were independently associated with hypertension.
Patients and methods: Sixty-two premenopausal women aged 42 y, whose did not have any situation that change the variables to study: blood pressure, body mass index (BMI) and her increase since age of 20, waist to hip ratio, family history of hypertension, smoking, alcohol, exercise, fasting and after oral glucose tolerance test (GTT) glucose and insulin, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), serum and salivary testosterone and the free testosterone index. Hypertension was defined as blood pressure > or = 140/90 mmHg. Multivariate analysis and prevalence odds ratio was calculated.
Results: Diastolic blood pressure correlated positively with BMI, waist to hip ratio, increase of BMI, GTT glucose, fasting and GTT insulin, free testosterone index and negatively with SHBG. Systolic blood pressure was only positively correlated with GTT glucose. Into a logistic regression model, the increase of BMI (OR: 1.23; IC: 95%: 1.04-1.5), the family history of hypertension (OR: 7.6; IC 95%: 1.9-29.9) and the free testosterone index (OR: 1.7; IC 95%: 1.1-2.6) were the only variables independently associated with hypertension. The prevalence odds ratio of hypertension according to the presence or not of family history of hypertension decreased when highest increase of BMI was considered.
Conclusions: Higher free testosterone levels with body weight increased in adulthood and family history of hypertension are independent predictors of hypertension in premenopausal women, whereas fasting insulin levels may be related to family history of hypertension.