Association between hemoglobin levels and arterial stiffness for general Japanese population in relation to body mass index status: The Nagasaki Islands study

• Published in: Geriatrics & gerontology international Vol. 14; no. 4; pp. 811 - 818
• Main Authors: Shimizu, Yuji, Nakazato, Mio, Sekita, Takaharu, Kadota, Koichiro, Yamasaki, Hironori, Takamura, Noboru, Aoyagi, Kiyoshi, Maeda, Takahiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.10.2014
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Ankle Brachial Index; arterial stiffness; Atherosclerosis - blood; Atherosclerosis - epidemiology; Atherosclerosis - physiopathology; Blood pressure; Blood Pressure - physiology; Body Mass Index; Cross-Sectional Studies; cross-sectional study; Female; Geriatrics; Hemoglobin; Hemoglobins - metabolism; Humans; Incidence; Japan - epidemiology; Male; Middle Aged; Odds Ratio; Population Surveillance; Prognosis; Risk Factors; Vascular Stiffness - physiology; Veins & arteries; Japan; arterial stiffness; cross-sectional study; body mass index; hemoglobin
• ISSN: 1444-1586; 1447-0594
• DOI: 10.1111/ggi.12171

Aim To investigate associations between hemoglobin levels and arterial stiffness accounting for body mass index (BMI) in a large‐scale cross‐sectional study. Methods We investigated the association between hemoglobin levels and atherosclerosis evaluated by cardio‐ankle vascular index (CAVI), which can assess arterial stiffness independently from blood pressure, while taking BMI status into account. Separate models were constructed for participants with or without anemia. In our main investigation for the association between hemoglobin levels and increased arterial stiffness, only participants without anemia (1064 men and 1886 women) were included to avoid the influence of chronic disease. Results We found significantly positive associations between increased arterial stiffness and hemoglobin levels for both men and women, and that such associations were limited to subjects with BMI <25 kg/m2. The multivariable‐adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% coincidence intervals (CI) of 1‐standard deviation increments in hemoglobin levels for increased arterial stiffness were 1.17 (95% CI 1.00–1.38) for men and 1.17 (95% CI1.02–1.34) for women. For participants with BMI <25 kg/m2, the corresponding values were 1.40 (95% CI 1.14–1.73) and 1.19 (95% CI 1.02–1.40), and for those with BMI ≥25 kg/m2, they were 0.88 (95% CI 0.67–1.15) and 1.12 (95% CI 0.86–1.46). Conclusions Independent positive associations between hemoglobin levels and increased arterial stiffness were observed both for Japanese men and women, and those associations were limited to participants with BMI <25 kg/m2. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2014; 14: 811–818.