Hypoadiponectinemia as a Predictor for the Development of Hypertension

Abstract

Abstract-Low circulating levels of adiponectin, an adipokine with insulin-sensitizing, antiatherogenic, and antiinflammatory properties, are found in hypertensive patients. Adiponectin replenishment ameliorated hypertension in adiponectin-deficient mice or obese, hypertensive mice with hypoadiponectinemia, suggesting an etiologic role of adiponectin in hypertension. We aimed to determine, in this 5-year prospective study, whether hypoadiponectinemia could predict the development of hypertension in a nondiabetic Chinese cohort. A total of 577 subjects (249 men and 328 women) were recruited from the population-based Hong Kong Cardiovascular Risk Factor Prevalence Study and prospectively followed up for 5 years. The relationship of serum adiponectin with the development of hypertension (sitting blood pressure Ն140/90 mm Hg) was investigated in a nested case-control study consisting of 70 subjects who had developed hypertension on follow-up and 140 age-and sex-matched control subjects who were normotensive both at baseline and at year 5. At baseline, serum adiponectin level in the lowest sex-specific tertile was more likely to be associated with hypertension (Pϭ0.003 versus the highest tertile, after adjusting for age, body mass index, fasting insulin, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein). At year 5, baseline serum adiponectin was a significant independent predictor of incident hypertension in the nested case-control study (Pϭ0.015; age adjusted), together with mean arterial pressure (PϽ0.001), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (Pϭ0.018), and body mass index (Pϭ0.004). Normotensive subjects with baseline serum adiponectin levels in the lowest sex-specific tertile had an increased risk of becoming hypertensive (adjusted odds ratio: 2.76; 95% CIs: 1.06 to 7.16; Pϭ0.037 versus highest tertile). Our data suggest that hypoadiponectinaemia may be involved in the pathogenesis of hypertension in humans.

Hypoadiponectinemia in Obesity: Association with Insulin Resistance

“…Because adiponectin can reduce circulating fatty acid levels via enhanced fatty acid oxidation and reduced fatty acid synthesis [20], hypoadiponectinemia may increase the risk of hypertension in obese subjects through its adverse effects on fatty acid metabolism. Chow et al [21] observed that hypoadiponectinemia associated with hypertension in prospective study.…”

Plasma adiponectin levels predict cardiovascular events in the observational Arita Cohort Study in Japan: the importance of the plasma adiponectin levels

“…In addition, two prospective Asian studies have shown that hypoadiponectinemia is associated with incident hypertension. Chow et al 15 conducted a 5-year prospective study to examine the association between adiponectin and hypertension in a nondiabetic Chinese cohort. From health insurance data, 391 healthy Japanese men were followed for a period of 6 years in another study, during which 45 of them developed hypertension.…”

Hypoadiponectinemia Is Associated With Prehypertension in Obese Individuals of Multiethnic Origin

“…13 Several cross-sectional studies had previously shown an inverse relation between adiponectin levels and BP. 14,15 Recently, Chow et al 6 added another important observation to the relationship between adipose tissue and high BP by demonstrating for the first time an inverse relation between plasma adiponectin concentration and the future development of hypertension. In this case, the control study, which was carried out in a population-based prospective investigation of Chinese subjects, 70 normotensive, nondiabetic subjects who will develop hypertension within the next 5 years were compared with 140 age-matched and sex-matched individuals who remained normotensive at year 5.…”

“…5 Adiponectin is a major adipocytokine exclusively synthesized by the adipose tissue. 6 The plasma concentration of adiponectin is decreased in patients with obesity 7 and hypertension. 8 In a recent study, prehypertensives exhibited lower adiponectin values as compared with normotensives, but that study included only lean healthy whites.…”