Disparity in association of obesity measures with ankle and brachial systolic blood pressures in Europeans and South Asians

Obesity causes increases in brachial systolic-blood-pressures (SBP), risks of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Brachial and ankle SBPs have differential relationship with T2DM and CVD. Our objective was to study the relationship of obesity measures with brachial and ankle SBPs. A population of 1098 adults (South Asians n = 699; 41.70% male and 58.3% female) were recruited over 5 years from primary care practices in England. Their four limbs SBPs were measured using Doppler machine and body-mass-index (BMI) and waist-to-height-ratio (WHtR) calculated. Linear regressions were performed between SBPs and obesity measures, after adjustments for sex, age, ethnicity, T2DM and CVD. The mean age of all participants was 51.3 (SD = 17.2), European was 57.7 (SD 17.2) and South Asian was 47.8 (SD = 16.1). The left posterior tibial [Beta = 1.179, P = 4.559 × 10−15] and the right posterior tibial SBP [Beta = 1.178, P = 1.114 × 10−13] most significantly associated with the BMI. In South Asians, although the left brachial [Beta = 25.775, P = 0.032] and right brachial SBP [Beta = 22.792, P = 0.045] were associated to the WHtR, the left posterior tibial SBP [Beta = 39.894, P = 0.023], association was the strongest. For the first time, we have demonstrated that ankle SBPs had significant association with generalised obesity than brachial systolic blood pressures (SBP), irrespective of ethnicity. However, with respect to visceral obesity, the association with ankle SBP was more significant in South Asians compared to Europeans.