Different association of hypertension and insulin-related metabolic syndrome between men and women in 8437 nondiabetic Chinese

Insulin resistance may cause a metabolic syndrome but whether insulin resis tance causes hypertension is very controversial. Furthermore, it remains un clear whether the link between the insulin-resistance-related metabolic syn drome and hypertension is different between men and women. We examined fast ing insulin, glucose, triglyceride and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) chole sterol levels, systolic blood pressure, body mass index, and waist-to-hip r atio in a dataset from 8437 nondiabetic residents (age range, 30 to 89 year s) in Kinmen. Factor analysis, a multivariate correlation statistical techn ique, was used to investigate the clustering and interdependence of these r isk variables. Factor analysis identified two factors for men (n = 3659) an d three factors for women (n = 4778), respectively. In men, a cluster of in sulin, triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol, body mass index, and waist-to-hip rat io (metabolic syndrome) accounted for 29.7%, and a cluster of systolic bloo d pressure and glucose (hyperglycemia plus hypertension) accounted for 18.1 % of the total variance in all variables considered. In women, a cluster of insulin, triglyceride, body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, and systolic b lood pressure (metabolic syndrome plus hypertension) accounted for 29.4%, a cluster of systolic blood pressure, glucose, and triglyceride (hyperglycem ia plus hypertension plus dyslipidemia) accounted for 14.0%, and a cluster of triglyceride and HDL-cholesterol (dyslipidemia) accounted for 16.2% of t he total variance. In conclusion, a dis tinct insulin-resistance-related metabolic syndrome ch aracterized by hyperinsulinemia, dyslipidemia, and obesity was observed for both men and women in this Chinese population. However, hypertension was l inked to the metabolic syndrome in women only. (C) 2000 American Journal of Hypertension, Ltd.