Increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol is associated with a high prevalence of pre-hypertension and hypertension in community-dwelling persons

The aim of this article was that high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) reduces blood vessel injury through its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory functions. However, the effect of HDL-C on blood pressure may be controversial. Therefore, the aim of this study was to address whether HDL-C level is associated with blood pressure, and we examined cross-sectional data from community-dwelling persons. A total of 859 men [58 ± 15 (mean ± standard deviation); 20–89 (range) (years) and 1,169 women (61 ± 13; 19–88 years)] participants not on medication for hypertension were recruited from a single community at the time of their annual health examination. We examined the relationship between cardiovascular risk factors and blood pressure status. Multiple linear regression analysis using systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) as an objective variable showed that HDL-C was significantly and independently associated with both SBP (β = 0.138), and DBP (β = 0.144). Compared to normotensive participants with the lowest quartile of HDL-C, multivariate-adjusted odds ratio (OR) for pre-hypertension was 1.72 (1.22–2.45) for the second quartile, 1.51 (1.07–2.15) for the third quartile, and 1.52 (1.04–2.22) for the highest quartile. Moreover, compared with normotensive participants with the lowest quartile, the multivariate-adjusted ORs for hypertension were 2.37 (1.63–3.45), 2.24 (1.54–3.28), 3.15 (2.10–4.74), respectively. There were no interactions between the two groups stratified by gender, age, BMI, drinking status, TG, FPG, and medication. Therefore, we concluded that HDL-C levels were positively associated with blood pressure in Japanese dwelling-community persons.