Premetabolic syndrome, body mass index and pulse pressure

On 140 clinically healthy adults, Abramson et al. reported a positive association of markers of inflammation and blood pressure variability. The data from Abramson et al. are reanalyzed herein with another smaller sample of clinically healthy immigrants from Silicon Valley to examine any relation to body mass index (BMI), to pulse pressure and markers of inflammation. An association of pulse pressure with BMI (r=0.418, P <0.001) is shown which holds separately for subjects with BMIs below and above 30 kg/m² as well as an association with BMI of CRP (r=0.431, P <0.001) and tumor necrosis factor (r=0.164, P<0.042). The inflammation, gauged by CRP, relates to pulse pressure (r=0.296, P < 0.001). The data suggest that prospective studies are warranted to investigate, notably in schools, any associations of vascular variability disorders, such as an elevated pulse pressure, with other aspects of physiology and pathology, notably obesity, so as to institute timely preventive treatment.