Associations of Hypertension and Orthostatic Hypotension With Subclinical Cardiovascular Disease

Background: Orthostatic hypotension is associated with cardiovascular disease. It remains unclear if low standing blood pressure or high seated blood pressure is responsible for this association. We compared associations of orthostatic hypotension and hypertension with high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide.

Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of the Study to Understand Fall Reduction and Vitamin D in You, a randomized controlled trial funded by the National Institute on Aging, between July 2015 and May 2019. Participants were community-dwelling adults, 70 years or older. Blood tests for high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide were drawn at visits concurrent with blood pressure measurements. Secondary analysis occurred in 2023. We determined associations between blood pressure phenotypes and cardiac biomarkers.

Results: Of 674 participants (mean age 76.5 ± 5.4 years, 43% female, 17.2% Black race), 29.1% had prior cardiovascular disease. Participants with seated hypertension had 10.1% greater high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (95% confidence interval = 3.8-16.9) and 11.0% greater N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (4.0-18.6) than those without seated hypertension. Participants with standing hypertension had 8.6% (2.7-14.9) greater high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I and 11.8% greater N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (5.1-18.9) than those without standing hypertension. Hypotensive phenotypes were not associated with either biomarker.

Conclusions: Both seated and standing hypertension were associated with greater high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, but hypotensive phenotypes were not. Hypoperfusion may not be the principal mechanism behind subclinical cardiac injury among older adults with orthostatic hypotension.