Risk Factors and Predictors of Coronary Arterial Lesions in Japanese Hypertensive Patients

• Published in: Hypertension Research Vol. 24; no. 1; pp. 3 - 11
• Main Authors: KATO, Junko, AIHARA, Akiko, KIKUYA, Masahiro, MATSUBARA, Mitsunobu, OHTA, Masahiro, OHKUBO, Takayoshi, TSUJI, Ichiro, SEKINO, Hiroshi, MEGURO, Taiichiro, IMAI, Yutaka
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England The Japanese Society of Hypertension 2001
• Subjects: Aged; Analysis of Variance; Blood Pressure; Brain - pathology; Carotid Arteries - diagnostic imaging; Cluster Analysis; Coronary Angiography; coronary artery lesion; Coronary Disease - diagnosis; Coronary Disease - epidemiology; Coronary Disease - etiology; Echocardiography; essential hypertension; Female; Humans; Hypertension - complications; Hypertension - diagnosis; Hypertension - epidemiology; Japan - epidemiology; Logistic Models; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Middle Aged; predictors; Risk Factors
• ISSN: 0916-9636; 1348-4214
• DOI: 10.1291/hypres.24.3

The morbidity rate of coronary artery disease has recently increased in Japan. This is attributable to changes from traditional to more westernized lifestyles. In this study, we therefore examined the risk factors and predictors of coronary arterial lesions in Japanese patients with essential hypertension. Coronary angiography was performed in 109 consecutive essential hypertension patients (57 men and 52 women; 66±8.0 years of age) with either angina pectoris or atypical chest pain, who were chosen from 485 consecutive hypertensive patients in a hypertension clinic in Sendai, Japan. Coronary arterial stenosis of greater than 50% was defined as significant and used as a dependent variable for the multiple regression analysis. Risk factors were defined as factors confirmed to have a causal relationship with coronary arterial lesions, whereas arteriosclerotic complications and hypertensive target organ damage were defined as predictors. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed using these parameters as independent variables. Of 109 patients, 25 had a coronary arterial stenosis greater than 50%. A smoking habit (odds ratio (OR): 4.48; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.13-17.82; p<0.05), hypercholesterolemia (OR: 5.34; 95% Cl: 1.52-18.73; p<0.05), and 24-h diastolic blood pressure (OR: 2.33; 95% Cl: 1.06-5.16; p<0.05) were significant risk factors, whereas carotid intima-media thickness (OR: 5.85; 95% Cl: 1.48-23.2; p<0.05) was a significant predictor of coronary arterial lesion. When two of the major risk factors (a smoking habit, hypercholesterolemia, or impaired glucose tolerance including diabetes mellitus) were clustered in addition to the hypertension, the risk of coronary arterial lesions increased by 6.7 to 10.1 times. These findings indicate that the major risk factors established in Caucasians, I.e., a smoking habit, hypercholesterolemia and blood pressure level, are also risk factors for coronary arterial lesions in Japanese with essential hypertension. The presence of two or more risk factors increases the risk of coronary arterial lesions synergistically in the presence of hypertension. (Hypertens Res 2001; 24: 3-11)