Relation Between Obesity and the Attainment of Optimal Blood Pressure and Lipid Targets in High Vascular Risk Outpatients

Obesity is associated with hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes, but it is also an independent cardiovascular risk factor. We sought to evaluate the differences in treatment patterns and attainment of guideline-recommended targets among high-risk vascular outpatients in relation to their body mass index (BMI). The prospective Vascular Protection and Guideline Orientated Approach to Lipid Lowering Registries recruited 7,357 high-risk vascular outpatients in Canada from 2001 to 2004. We stratified the patient population into 3 groups according to their BMI: normal weight (BMI <24.9 kg/m2), overweight (BMI 25 to 29.9 kg/m2), and obese (BMI >30 kg/m2). We evaluated the rates of attainment for contemporary guideline targets of blood pressure (<140/90 or <130/80 mm Hg in the presence of diabetes) and lipids (low-density lipoprotein [LDL] <2.5 mmol/L [96.7 mg/dl] and total cholesterol [TC]/high-density lipoprotein [HDL] ratio <4.0). Of the 7,357 patients, 1,305 (17.7%) were normal weight, 2,791 (37.9%) overweight, and 3,261 (44.4%) obese, as determined by the BMI. Obese patients were younger and more likely to have hypertension and diabetes (all p <0.001 for trend). Obese patients had higher baseline blood pressure, TC, LDL cholesterol, triglyceride levels and TC/HDL ratio, and lower HDL cholesterol. Obese patients were more likely to be treated with antihypertensive agents (p = 0.002), angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (p = 0.024), angiotensin receptor blockers (p <0.001), and high-dose statin therapy (p = 0.001). On multivariable analyses, obese patients were less likely to attain the blood pressure (odds ratio 0.77, 95% confidence interval 0.66 to 0.90, p = 0.001) and TC/HDL ratio (odds ratio 0.48, 95% confidence interval 0.42 to 0.55, p <0.001) targets but not the LDL targets (odds ratio 0.89, 95% confidence interval 0.78 to 1.03, p = 0.11). In conclusion, only a minority ambulatory patients at high cardiovascular risk achieved both guideline-recommended blood pressure and lipid targets, and this significant treatment gap was more pronounced among obese patients. Our findings underscore the opportunity to optimize the treatment of these high-risk patients.