Cortisol-to-cortisone ratio, 11-deoxycortisol tied to hypertension

Serum cortisol-to-cortisone ratio (F/E) and 11-deoxycortisol (S) are indicative of hypertension and blood pressure (BP), and their combination holds a synergistic effect on hypertension, suggests a China study. In addition, the associations of F and F/E with hypertension and BP differ by sex.

The authors included 6,233 participants from the Henan Rural Cohort Study and assessed serum F, E, and S using liquid chromatography‒tandem mass spectrometry. They used generalized linear and logistic regression models to examine the associations of F, E, F/E, and S with BP and hypertension. Finally, the sex specificity of the associations was evaluated.

Serum F, F/E, and S positively correlated with systolic (SBP), diastolic BP (DBP), and pulse pressure (PP), while E negatively correlated with SBP and PP.

F and E showed no statistically significant associations with hypertension prevalence, while F/E and S had a positive association with hypertension (F/E: odds ratio [OR], 1.28, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.13‒1.44; S: OR, 1.10, 95 percent CI, 1.04‒1.17). Moreover, the combination of high F/E and S significantly correlated with hypertension.

An increase in the serum concentration of F, F/E, and S amplified the prevalence of hypertension and BP indicators (p_trend<0.05 for all).

Of note, the positive association between F/E and SBP was more pronounced in women than in men, while the strong correlation of F/E with hypertension only existed in women (p_interaction<0.05 for all).