Obesity-Induced Hypertension

Arterial hypertension (AH) and obesity are two of the most common diseases and can often be interrelated, causing significant cardiovascular damage. Excess weight typically raises blood pressure, and weight loss usually lowers blood pressure. In addition to increasing the risk of hypertension, overweight and obesity increase cardiovascular risk through effects on lipids, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, stroke, insulin resistance, and other cardiometabolic processes, as well as promoting higher mortality from all causes. In this Arquivos Brasileiros de Cardiologia issue, Santos et al. present a study of laboratory and clinical markers that associate AH with obesity in patients with indication for bariatric surgery.

The prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased significantly. Individuals with a Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m , between 1980 and 2013, increased from 28.8% to 36.9% of the world population among men and from 29.8% to 38.0% among women. In Brazil, 52.4% of the population was overweight in 2014, with 17.9% being obese.

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