Numbers and mortality risk of hypertensive patients with or without elevated body mass index in China

Objective: Our study aimed to estimate the number of hypertension patients with or without elevated body mass index (BMI), and assess their mortality risk. Methods: We used data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) to estimate the population of hypertensive patients with or without elevated BMI. The mortality risk of hypertension with elevated BMI was estimated by using the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) data. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: In total, 23.02% of adults, representing 117.74 (95% CI: 108.79, 126.69) million, had both high BMI and hypertension. Among them, 38.53 (95% CI: 35.50, 41.56) million were recommended to initiate antihypertensive medication but did not take it. Moreover, there were 38.40 (95% CI: 35.50, 41.56) million hypertensive patients with elevated BMI who did not achieve the goal of blood pressure control. All-cause mortality and premature death mortality, especially for the elderly, were significantly and positively associated with the severity of the hypertensive condition (p for trend = 0.001). Conclusion: In China, there were a huge number of patients with hypertension and elevated BMI, and the treatment and control rates for them were low. The more severe the degree of hypertension, the higher risk of all-cause death and premature death in these patients.