Determinants of inflammation and systolic blood presure in women with central obesity: a cross-sectional study

High prevalence of obesity is closely associated with a prominent rise in the incidence of hypertension, both of which result in a major increase in cardiovascular disease risk. Several studies also suggest obesity as a major risk factor for systemic inflammation. The purpose of this study was to determine associations between metabolic and anthropometric indicators on the one hand and serum levels of high-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) and blood pressure in overweight and obese women on the other hand, as well as determine the predictors of hsCRP level and blood pressure in this population. Subjects were recruited by convenience sampling from health care centers and schools in Tehran in winter. From among volunteers 200 women meeting the study criteria were selected and their fasting blood samples collected. Dietary intake was assessed, anthropometric measurements were made, and the related laboratory tests (total cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, and hsCRP) were performed. Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients and multiple linear regression were used for statistical analysis. Serum levels of hsCRP were significantly associated with those of glucose(p=0.015, triglycerides (p=0.005), total cholesterol(p=0.002), body mass index (BMI)(<0.0001), waist circumference (WC)(p<0.001), and fat mass (FM) (p<0.0001). Also, systolic blood pressure (SBP) was significantly associated with serum levels of glucose(p=0.018), triglycerides (p=0.011), BMI (p<0.0001), WC(p<0.0001), FM(p=0.005) and WHR(p=0.049). In different regression models, WC and FM were found to be predictors of hsCRP (p= 0.020, 0.015), wheras BMI was a strong predictor of SBP (p <0.0001). This study demonstrates that waist circumference and fat mass are the predictors of hsCRP, while body mass index is the main predictor of systolic blood pressure, in Tehrani obese and overweight women with waist circumference more than 88cm.