Hemoglobin Level Is Positively Associated With Blood Pressure in a Large Cohort of Healthy Individuals

Abstract

Abstract-It has been hypothesized that an increased hemoglobin level elevates blood pressure. The present study investigated the association between hemoglobin level and systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure in healthy persons. The study population was composed of 101 377 whole blood and plasma donors, who made 691 107 visits to the blood bank. At each visit, hemoglobin level and blood pressure were measured as part of the standard procedure before a blood donation. We used repeated measurement analysis to analyze the data. We used generalized estimating equation models to assess the between-person effect and linear mixed models to assess the within-person effect. All of the analyses were done separately for men and women. In the study population, 50% were men. The mean age in men was 49.3 years (±12.5 years), and in women it was 42.4 years (±13.7 years). Hemoglobin level was positively associated with both systolic and diastolic blood pressures. With respect to the between-person effect, regression coefficients for systolic blood pressure were 1.3 mm Hg per millimole per liter increase in hemoglobin level for men and 1.8 mm Hg per millimole per liter increase in hemoglobin level for women. With respect to the within-person effect, regression coefficients for systolic blood pressure were 0.7 mm Hg and 0.9 mm Hg per millimole per liter increase in hemoglobin level, for men and women, respectively. For diastolic blood pressure, results were comparable. The results show that hemoglobin level is positively associated with both systolic and diastolic blood pressures in healthy individuals. We observed consistent effects between persons but also within persons.

Association between the Hemoglobin Levels and Hypertension in Relation to the BMI Status in a Rural Japanese Population: The Nagasaki Islands Study

“…Moreover, this association was observed only among the participants with a BMI of <25 kg/m 2 . A Dutch study of 691,107 voluntary blood donors reported that the hemoglobin levels are positively associated with both systolic and diastolic blood pressure (7). A Germany study of 1,013 unselected persons showed a significant correlation between the hemoglobin levels and blood pressure and a statistically significant correlation between the mean (as well as systolic and diastolic) arterial blood pressure and hemoglobin concentration (r=0.29; p< 0.0001) (4).…”

“…Another study reported that treatment with erythropoiesisstimulating proteins used to treat anemia in hemodialysis patients is related to elevated blood pressure (6). Moreover, a Dutch study with a large number of healthy volunteer blood donors reported a positive association between the hemoglobin levels and blood pressure (7).…”

Higher outdoor temperatures are progressively associated with lower blood pressure: a longitudinal study in 100,000 healthy individuals

“…We used the same dataset as the one used in a previous study on the association between blood pressure and Hb. 25 In this dataset, visits with missing blood pressure measurements (n ¼ 8981) or Hb measurements (n ¼ 1193) have been excluded. 25 In the end, the study data file consisted of 691,107 measurements obtained from 101,377 whole blood donors and plasma donors.…”

“…25 In this dataset, visits with missing blood pressure measurements (n ¼ 8981) or Hb measurements (n ¼ 1193) have been excluded. 25 In the end, the study data file consisted of 691,107 measurements obtained from 101,377 whole blood donors and plasma donors. The number of measurements per donor ranged from one to 69 in 3 years.…”

Association of Hemoglobin and Blood Pressure in a Chinese Community-Dwelling Population

“…There are few reports for the normal population. Atsma et al [8] have shown that Hb level is positively associated with blood pressure in a large Dutch cohort of healthy individuals who were voluntary blood donors. The main objective of this study was to investigate the association between Hb levels and SBP and DBP in a Chinese community-dwelling cohort.…”