Body build and risk of cardiovascular events in hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy : The LIFE (losartan intervention for endpoint reduction in hypertension) study

• Published in: Circulation (New York, N.Y.) N.Y.), 2005-04, Vol.111 (15), p.1924-1931
• Main Authors: DE SIMONE, Giovanni, WACHTELL, Kristian, KJELDSEN, Sverre E, LEDERBALLE-PEDERSEN, Ole, LINDHOLM, Lars H, NIEMINEN, Markku S, OMVIK, Per, OPARIL, Suzanne, DEVEREUX, Richard B, PALMIERI, Vittorio, HILLE, Darcy A, BEEVERS, Gareth, DAHLOF, Bjorn, DE FAIRE, Ulf, FYHRQUIST, Frej, IBSEN, Hans, JULIUS, Stevo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Arterial hypertension. Arterial hypotension; Atenolol - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Blood and lymphatic vessels; Body Mass Index; Body Weight; Cardiology. Vascular system; Cardiovascular Diseases - drug therapy; Cardiovascular Diseases - etiology; Cardiovascular Diseases - physiopathology; Cardiovascular Diseases/drug therapy/etiology/physiopathology; Clinical manifestations. Epidemiology. Investigative techniques. Etiology; Coronary heart disease; Diseases of the peripheral vessels. Diseases of the vena cava. Miscellaneous; Female; Heart; Humans; Hypertension - drug therapy; Hypertension - physiopathology; Hypertension/drug therapy/physiopathology; Hypertrophy; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular - drug therapy; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular - physiopathology; Left Ventricular/drug therapy/physiopathology; Losartan - therapeutic use; Male; MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES; Medical sciences; MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP; Middle Aged; Obesity; Proportional Hazards Models; Risk Assessment; Somatotypes - physiology
• ISSN: 0009-7322; 1524-4539; 1524-4539
• DOI: 10.1161/01.CIR.0000161799.91577.0A

Obesity may independently increase the risk of adverse events in hypertension with target-organ damage. We investigated whether body build was independently associated with higher cardiovascular risk and whether treatment with losartan relative to atenolol influenced the impact of body build on the primary composite end point of cardiovascular death, stroke, and myocardial infarction and on cardiovascular death in patients with hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy in the Losartan Intervention For Endpoint reduction in hypertension (LIFE) study. The population of 9079 patients was divided as follows: thin (body mass index [BMI] or =40, 2%). Incident diabetes increased progressively with BMI and was somewhat higher in the atenolol arm. Differences in gender and race were detected among the body build groups. Rates (Cox proportional hazard analysis) of the primary composite end point did not differ among body build groups after adjustment for age, gender, race, smoking habit, prevalent cardiovascular disease, and left ventricular hypertrophy. Cardiovascular death was more frequent among thin (P