Long-term effects of blood pressure 130–139/80–89 mmHg on all-cause and cardiovascular mortality among Chinese adults with different glucose metabolism

Background This study aimed to investigate the risks of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality associated with blood pressure (BP) levels of 130–139/80–89 mmHg in Chinese adults with different glucose metabolism, during a long-term follow-up of over 20 years. Methods A prospective population-based cohort of 2,132 adults in Shanghai was established in 2002 and followed for 21 years. The association between BP categories and mortality was assessed, and the risk was further analyzed using multiple Cox regression analysis by combining BP and blood glucose categories. Results The final analysis included 2,004 participants, with 397 all-cause and 166 cardiovascular mortality. The incidence of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality per 1,000 person-years for different BP categories were as follows: BP < 130/80 mmHg (4.5 and 1.3), 130–139/80–89 mmHg (7.7 and 2.9), and ≥ 140/90 mmHg or treated groups (19.9 and 8.7), respectively. After adjusting for age, sex, and other factors, BP ≥ 140/90 mmHg was significantly associated with a higher risk of mortality across different blood glucose categories. However, using BP < 130/80 mmHg and normoglycemia as the reference, a BP of 130–139/80–89 mmHg was significantly associated with higher risks of all-cause (hazard ratio 3.30 [95% confidence interval 1.48–7.38], P < 0.01) and cardiovascular mortality (9.60 [1.93–47.7], P < 0.01) in diabetes, but not in those with normoglycemia or prediabetes. Conclusions BP of 130–139/80–89 mmHg may lead to a significantly higher risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in Chinese adults with diabetes, but not in those with normoglycemia or prediabetes. This suggests that the targeted BP for people with diabetes should be < 130–139/80–89 mmHg.