Marital differences in blood pressure and the risk of hypertension among Polish men

Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship between marital status and blood pressure, and to assess the risk of hypertension in adult Polish men, after adjustment for BMI. Material comprised the data of 2,271 healthy men, aged 25-60, occupationally active inhabitants of Wroclaw (south-western Poland). Arterial hypertension was diagnosed when systolic blood pressure (SBP) > or =140 mm Hg and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) > or = 90 mm Hg. The following categories of marital status and educational level were applied: never married vs. currently married, and well-educated vs. poorly educated, respectively. The data on lifestyle elements were obtained from questionnaires. Multi-factorial analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) were used to compare mean values of SBP and DBP in married vs. never married in subsequent age categories with BMI as a covariate. Independent effects of marital status, life-style variables and body mass index (BMI) on the risk of hypertension in men were analysed using the multifactorial models of logistic regression. In our analysis an interesting epidemiological phenomenon was observed. Never married men had on average higher SBP and DBP than married men. Never married had also a higher risk of hypertension when compared to married men, even when adjusted for different demographic, socio-economic, life-style variables, and even that never married men had lower BMI than married subjects. Marital differences in psychological status (prolonged stress and low social support), dietary intake (mainly sodium and potassium intake) and economic aspects of living alone are suggested as factors, which might explain at least partly the marital diversity in blood pressure and the risk of hypertension in men.

Hierarchical Analysis of Hypertension with the Polymorphic Variant of the ACE Gene and Other Risk Factors in the Elderly

“…The literature highlights a greater chance of hypertension in Blacks. 19 In the present study, the skin color was not associated with hypertension, which was comparable with another study that included this variable in its analyses. 17 This shows that the extension of the impact of the Brazilian miscegenation on hypertension is still unclear.…”

Health risk factors and the incidence of hypertension: 4-year prospective findings from a national cohort of 60 569 Thai Open University students

“…However, in middle-income countries, the results diverged: married men, when compared with their unmarried counterparts, had a higher risk of hypertension in Barbados35 and a lower risk in Poland 63. Married individuals had higher emotional and social support and lower stress63 and the probability of being a current smoker 64. We found that incident hypertension was relatively more frequent among married women, unlike the no-sex-link pattern in developed countries such as the USA and Korea 53 54.…”

“…However, in middle-income countries, the results diverged: married men, when compared with their unmarried counterparts, had a higher risk of hypertension in Barbados35 and a lower risk in Poland 63. Married individuals had higher emotional and social support and lower stress63 and the probability of being a current smoker 64.…”

Hypertension Risk Subsequent to Gestational Dysglycemia Is Modified by Race/Ethnicity

“…Additional clinical and socioeconomic factors were selected if considered to be potential confounders of the relationship between dysglycemia and hypertension. For instance, prior studies have suggested that breastfeeding results in lower maternal blood pressure; 17 marriage is associated with a lower risk of hypertension; 18 smoking is a significant independent risk factor for hypertension; 19 and education is inversely associated with hypertension risk factors, such as smoking, BMI, and systolic blood pressure. 20 …”