Rapid weight gain triggers hypertension risk faster than obesity alone
A study of 82,000 adults found that gaining more than 10% of body weight nearly doubled the risk of needing blood pressure medication within months—even for people at healthy weights. The finding suggests insurers and employers should track weight changes, not just baseline BMI, to identify who needs early intervention.
Originaltitel: Weight change and short-term risk of hypertension in healthy adults.
Viktökning fördubblar eller firedubblar risken för hypertonibehandling inom två år, beroende på utgångsBMI. En dansk kohortstudie på 81 954 blodbankdonatörer visar att över 10 procents viktökning ger hazard ratio 1,60 (normalvikt), 2,44 (övervikt) och 4,51 (fetma). Viktnedgång reducerar risken endast bland överväktiga eller feta personer jämfört med stabil vikt. Forskargruppen från Aarhus University Hospital och Novo Nordisk följde deltagarna 1,7 år och registrerade 5 503 nya antihypertensivbehandlingar. Effekten är konsistent över kön och ålder, med något högre risk hos yngre män med fetma. För regioner och inköpare blir detta relevant då viktinterventioner kan påverka antihypertensivläkemedelsförbrukningen. Resultaten stödjer tidiga livsstilsinsatser som kostnadseffektiv strategi för hypertoniprevention och kan forma uppdrag till vårdgivare.
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Obesity is a major risk factor for hypertension, but most evidence relies on single weight measurements. We examined associations between weight change and short-term risk of incident hypertension across body mass index (BMI) categories. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study in the Danish Blood Donor Study of 81,954 participants aged 18-79 with at least two questionnaires (2010-2025). Weight change was the percentage difference between consecutive self-reported weights, grouped as stable, 2.5-5, 5-10, or more than 10% loss or gain. Incident hypertension was defined as first redemption of antihypertensive drugs. Associations were estimated using multivariable Cox models. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 1.66 years (IQR 0.79-2.88; maximum 3 years), 5,503 participants initiated antihypertensive treatment. In BMI-stratified analyses, weight gain was associated with higher risk of initiation in all BMI categories, while weight loss was associated with lower risk only in overweight or obesity relative to stable weight. Across BMI categories using stable normal weight as reference, associations were stronger at higher BMI. More than 10% weight gain was associated with hazard ratios of 1.60 (95% CI 1.30-1.96) in normal weight, 2.44 (2.02-2.96) in overweight and 4.51 (3.57-5.70) in obesity. Hazard ratios were comparable across sex and age groups, although higher in younger men with obesity, while rates were highest in older participants. CONCLUSION: Weight gain was associated with higher risk of antihypertensive treatment across BMI categories compared with stable weight, whereas weight loss was inversely associated with initiation among adults with overweight or obesity.