Sex-Specific Association of Blood Pressure Categories With All-Cause Mortality: The Rural Chinese Cohort Study.

INTRODUCTION: The relationship between blood pressure categories and all-cause mortality has not been fully addressed in cohort studies, especially in the general Chinese population. Our study aimed to assess the sex-specific association of systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and 2017 United States hypertension guidelines with all-cause mortality in China. METHODS: We conducted a prospective study of 13,760 rural Chinese adults aged 18 or older (41.1% men). Mean age overall was 49.4, 51.0 for men, and 48.3 for women. We analyzed the blood pressure-mortality relationship by using restricted cubic splines and Cox proportional-hazards regression analysis, estimating hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: During a mean follow-up of 5.95 years, 710 people died (60.3% men) from any cause. We found a U-shaped SBP-mortality or DBP-mortality relationship for both sexes. Mortality risk was increased for men with SBP 120-139 mm Hg (adjusted HR [aHR], 1.42; 95% CI, 1.10-1.82) or ≥140 mm Hg (aHR, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.54-2.72), and for DBP ≥90 mm Hg (aHR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.10-2.13) as compared with SBP 100-119 mm Hg or DBP 70-79 mm Hg. Mortality risk also was increased for men with blood pressure status defined according to 2017 US hypertension guidelines as elevated, SBP 120-129 and DBP >80 mm Hg (aHR 1.48; 95% CI,1.11-1.98); stage 1 hypertension, SBP/DBP 130-139/80-89 mm Hg (aHR 1.53; CI, 1.19-1.97); and stage 2 hypertension, SBP/DBP ≥140/90 mm Hg (aHR 1.83; CI, 1.33-2.51). No significant relationship was observed for women. CONCLUSION: Elevated blood pressure and stages 1 and 2 hypertension were positively associated with all-cause mortality for men but not women in rural China.