Bioinformatics Study on Serum Triglyceride Levels for Analysis of a Potential Risk Factor Affecting Blood Pressure Variability

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to establish whether Triglycerides (TGs) are related to Blood Pressure (BP) variability and whether controlling TG levels leads to better BP variability management and prevents Cardiovascular Disease (CVD). Methods: In this study, we enrolled 106 hypertensive patients and 80 non-hypertensive patients. Pearson correlation and partial correlation analyses were used to define the relationships between TG levels and BP variability in all subjects. Patients with hypertension were divided into two subgroups according to TG level: Group A (TG<1.7 mmol/L) and Group B (TG>=1.7 mmol/L). The heterogeneity between the two subgroups was compared using t tests and covariance analysis. Results: TG levels and BP variability were significantly different between the hypertensive and non-hypertensive patients. Two-tailed Pearson correlation tests showed that TG levels are positively associated with many BP variability measures in all subjects. After reducing other confounding factors, the partial correlation analysis revealed that TG levels are still related to the Standard Deviation (SD), Coefficient of Variation (CV) of nighttime systolic blood pressure and CV of nighttime diastolic blood pressure, respectively (each p<0.05). In the subgroups, group A had a lower SD of nighttime Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP_night_SD; 11.39±3.80 and 13.39±4.16, p=0.011), CV of nighttime systolic blood pressure (SBP_night_CV; 0.09±0.03 and 0.11±0.03, p=0.014) and average real variability of nighttime systolic blood pressure (SBP_night_ARV; 10.99±3.98 and 12.6±3.95, p=0.024) compared with group B, even after adjusting for age and other lipid indicators. Conclusion: TG levels are significantly associated with BP variability and hypertriglyceridemia, which affects blood pressure variability before causing target organ damage.