Relationship Between Atherogenic Index of Plasma and Hypertension in Chinese Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Analysis Based on CHARLS.

Objectives: Atherosclerosis is the underlying pathology of cardiovascular disease (CVD), including hypertension. Unfortunately, the association between the atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) and hypertension has not been reported in a large-scale middle-aged and elderly population. This study aimed to evaluate the association between AIP and hypertension in a representative middle-aged and elderly population in China. Methods: The present study was a retrospective cohort study. We conducted cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) from 2011 to 2018. Hypertension was identified by self-report or by taking antihypertensive medications. Participants aged below 45 years, with missing data on AIP, hypertension records, or taking lipid-lowering medication were excluded. Results: A total of 12,376 participants were included in the cross-sectional analysis; we found that after adjusting for covariates, each unit increment in AIP was associated with a 109.0% increased prevalence of hypertension (OR = 2.090, 95% CI: 1.776-2.459), a 41.2% increased likelihood of systolic blood pressure (SBP) above 140 mmHg (OR = 1.412, 95% CI: 1.199-1.664), and a 43.9% increased likelihood of diastolic blood pressure (DBP) above 90 mmHg (OR = 1.439, 95% CI: 1.153-1.795). A total of 5649 participants were included in the longitudinal analysis; we found that every one-unit increase in AIP was associated with a 57.7% increase in hypertension incidence (OR = 1.577, 95% CI: 1.282-1.941, Conclusions: These results demonstrated a significant positive association between AIP and the prevalence and incidence of hypertension in a nationwide representative middle-aged and elderly population in China.