SHBG levels inversely tied to hypertension development

Levels of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) show an inverse relationship with the development of hypertension and change in blood pressure (BP) levels in middle-aged adults, independent of major risk factors, suggests a recent study.

A total of 2,816 middle-aged men and women were included in this community-based study, with a focus on cardiometabolic risk factors in 2002‒2005. The authors then invited a representative sample of 1,954 participants to follow-up in 2012‒2014 and included 1,327 in a second visit. Mean follow-up time was 9.7 years.

BP was measured using the guidelines from the seventh Joint National Committee of Hypertension. New hypertension cases were recorded.

The authors measured SHBG levels at baseline. They used linear regression analyses and logistic regression analyses to explore the association between SHBG, BP, and new cases of hypertension after excluding individuals treated with BP-lowering drugs.

At follow-up, the mean BP level was 123/72 mm Hg, with a mean increase of 5.8/2.9 mm Hg. One hundred sixty-seven (16.1 percent) new cases of hypertension were recorded during follow-up.

In the fully-adjusted model, one standard deviation (SD)-increase in SHBG at baseline inversely correlated with the risk of developing hypertension at follow-up (odds ratio, 0.74, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.58‒0.95).

After adjusting for covariates, one SD-increase in SHBG correlated with a reduction in mean systolic BP (delta, ‒1.5 mm Hg, 95 percent CI, ‒2.2 to ‒0.8) and diastolic BP (delta, ‒1.0 mm Hg, 95 percent CI, ‒1.5 to ‒0.4).