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Tropical diseases and risk of hypertension in the Amazon Basin: a cross-sectional study

Journal of Human Hypertension volume 36, pages 1121–1127 (2022)Cite this article

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Abstract

Although infectious diseases have been associated with cardiovascular conditions, little is known about tropical disease burden and hypertension. We hypothesized that a history of tropical infections was associated with hypertension. We examined participants from outpatient clinics in the Amazon Basin who were interviewed about prior exposure to tropical diseases, including dengue, malaria hospitalization, and leishmaniasis. Hypertension was defined as a prior physician diagnosis of hypertension, treatment with anti-hypertensive medication, or a systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg and/or a diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg. We used logistic regression models to examine the relationship between tropical infectious disease and hypertension. We included 556 participants (mean age 41 ± 15 years, 61% women) of whom 214 (38%) had hypertension and 354 (64%) had a history of tropical infectious disease. The distribution of tropical diseases was: dengue 270 (76%), malaria hospitalization 104 (29%) and leishmaniasis 48 (14%). Any prior tropical infection was significantly associated with prevalent hypertension (odds ratio 1.76 [95% CI 1.22–2.54], P = 0.003) and the association remained significant after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, socioeconomic status, smoking, vegetable intake and serum creatinine. Persons with a history of ≥2 tropical infections (n = 64) had the greatest risk of hypertension (odds ratio 2.04 [95% CI 1.15–3.63], P = 0.015). In adjusted models, prior infection with dengue was associated with hypertension (P = 0.006), but no associations were found with malaria hospitalization (P = 0.39) or leishmaniasis (P = 0.98). In conclusion, a history of tropical infectious disease was associated with hypertension. This finding supports the idea that pathogen burden may be related to cardiovascular conditions.

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Fig. 1: Study site.
Fig. 2: Tropical diseases and hypertension.

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Data availability

Data are available upon reasonable request to the corresponding author.

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Author contributions

AEH: Conception of study, planning and design, data acquisition, data extraction and analysis, statistics, writing, critical review. LCG: Data acquisition, planning. KOL: Data acquisition. AW: Data acquisition, data analysis, critical review. LOM: Data acquisition. IVMV: Data acquisition. MDK: Data analysis, critical review. MP: Critical review. RMS: Expert advice. CRF: Critical review. TBS: Expert advise, critical review. OMS: Expert advise. PB (responsible for the overall content as guarantor): Conception of study, planning and design, funding, data acquisition, data extraction and analysis, statistics, critical review.

Funding

Funding specifically rewarded for the Malaria Heart Study: PB and AEH: Jette and Hans Henrik Jensen, The Independent Research Fund Denmark (0129-0003B), Dansk Medicinsk Selskab København (120620-kms), Julie von Müllens Fond, Knud Højgaards Fond (18-05-2487), A. P. Møllers Lægefond (18-L-0026), Reinholdt W. Jorck og Hustrus Fond (18-JU-0485), Eva og Henry Frænkels Mindefond (NLA-080919), Astra Zeneca/Danish Society of Cardiology, Internal Funds at Herlev-Gentofte Hospital, Torben og Alice Frimodts Fond (TA250419), Brorsons Fond (12038-1-hh), Lundbeckfonden (R373-2021-1201). AW: Danish Heart Association (20-R139-A9644-22165), William Demant (20-1257), Knud Højgaards Fond (20-01-1076), Reinholdt W. Jorck og Hustrus Fond (20-JU-0145). MK: Novo Nordisk Fonden (NNF20OC0062782). LCG: CNPq (142306/2020-7). Other sources of funding: CRFM: FAPESP (2020/06747-4) and CNPq (302917/2019-5).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Multidisciplinary Center, Federal University of Acre, Câmpus Floresta, Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, Brazil

    Anna Engell Holm, Karine O. Lima, Alma Wegener, Luan O. Matos, Isabelle V. M. Vieira, Molly D. Kaagaard, Rodrigo Medeiros de Souza & Philip Brainin

  2. Department of Cardiology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Hellerup, Denmark

    Anna Engell Holm, Alma Wegener, Molly D. Kaagaard, Tor Biering-Sørensen & Philip Brainin

  3. Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Laura Cordeiro Gomes & Claudio Romero Farias Marinho

  4. Department of Internal Medicine, Yale New Haven Hospital, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA

    Manan Pareek

  5. Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Copenhagen University, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Tor Biering-Sørensen

  6. Health and Sport Science Center, Federal University of Acre, Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil

    Odilson M. Silvestre

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  1. Anna Engell Holm
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Correspondence to Philip Brainin.

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Holm, A.E., Gomes, L.C., Lima, K.O. et al. Tropical diseases and risk of hypertension in the Amazon Basin: a cross-sectional study. J Hum Hypertens 36, 1121–1127 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41371-021-00633-1

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