The relationship between poorer cardiovascular health metrics (CVHM) plus low-grade
inflammation (LGI) and hypertension-mediated organ damage (HMOD) and hypertension-related
comorbidities (HRC) in hypertensive populations with an overweight/obese (Ow/Ob) hypertensionrelated
phenotype is understudied. We examined the relationship between the CVHM score
and the presence of LGI and Ow/Ob hypertension-associated phenotype morbidities and mortality
in 243 hypertensive patients from an urban primary care center. We recorded the baseline
CVHM score plus clinical data, including hs-C-reactive protein (CRP) and prevalent and incident
HMOD-HRC and death. A total of 26 (10.7%) had a body mass index (BMI) < 25 kg/m2, 95 (31.1%)
were overweight (BMI 25–29.9 kg/m2), and 122 (50.2%) were obese (BMI 30 kg/m2). There were
264 cases of HMOD-HRC and 9 deaths. Higher hs-CRP levels were observed as BMI increased.
Linear regression analysis showed a significant correlation between BMI and hs-CRP, adjusted for
confounders. Additionally, individuals with a higher hs-CRP tertile had a significant increase in
BMI. Significantly lower log hs-CRP levels were found as the number of ideal CVHM scores rose.
Multivariate binary logistic regression found the risk of HMOD-HRC increased significantly as the
ideal CVHM scores decreased, and hs-CRP levels also correlated with HMOD-HRC in the whole
cohort and in the Ow and Ob subpopulations. These findings highlight the need for early intervention
targeting ideal CVHMs among hypertensive individuals with an Ow/Ob phenotype in order to
attenuate the inflammatory state and prevent cardiovascular disease.
