Correlation Between Fasting Blood Sugar and Resting Blood Pressure in Teachers Residing in Shiraz, Iran 2009

Background: Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is the major cause of morbidity and mortality. The knowledge about correlation between the different risk factors of CAD provides valuable information for prediction and prevention of the disease in a specific population.The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between fasting blood sugar (FBS) and resting blood pressure in teachers residing in Shiraz, Iran

Methods: A total of 3115 teachers from different educational centers of Shiraz, Iran were interviewed in this cross sectional study. The data obtained comprised demographic information including age, sex, and history of hypertension (HTN), diabetes mellitus (DM), and current use of medications. Other parameters measured were height, weight, fasting blood sugar (FBS) and resting blood pressure (BP) as well as calculating the body mass index (BMI).

Results: Out of all the cases studied, undiagnosed and/or untreated cases of diabetes and hypertension were 1.5% and 15.2% respectively. FBS was higher in the elderly and in cases with higher BMI, but without any significant difference in relation to sex. The prevalence of HTN was higher in males, in older cases and in those with higher BMI. A significant relationship was observed between FBS and resting BP in hypertensive and pre-hypertensive groups (P < 0.001) as compared to normotensive subjects.

Conclusion: There was a significant correlation between FBS and resting BP in hypertensive and prehypertensive teachers residing in Shiraz,Iran. But this correlation was not present in the vast majority of the population with normal resting blood pressure. The prevalence of neglected DM and HTN in this population was high enough to warrant regular screening.