Association of hypertension and long‐term blood pressure changes with new‐onset diabetes in the elderly: A 10‐year cohort study

Aim To explore the correlation between new‐onset diabetes (NOD), hypertension and blood pressure management among elderly individuals in China. Materials and Methods A cohort analysis involved 1380 participants aged 60 years or older, initially free of diabetes in 2008, from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. Follow‐up assessments occurred every 2‐3 years. The relationship between hypertension, blood pressure changes and NOD was analysed using multivariable‐adjusted Cox regression. Results By 2018, 102 participants developed diabetes, while 1278 remained without diabetes. The cumulative diabetes prevalence increased from 3.1% at 3 years to 7.4% at 10 years. Hypertension prevalence increased from 20.9% at baseline to 41.0% at 10 years, with higher rates in those diagnosed with diabetes during follow‐up. Multivariate analysis identified age, gender, baseline hypertension and systolic blood pressure (SBP) as independent predictors of NOD. Hypertension combined with overweight/obesity significantly increased the risk of NOD (hazard ratio [HR] 2.837; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.680‐4.792). We evaluated participants' blood pressure management levels in 2008 and 2011, then tracked the onset of diabetes from 2011 to 2018. Compared with participants with an average SBP below 120 mmHg in 2008 and 2011, those with SBP of 140 mmHg or higher had an 8‐fold higher risk of developing NOD (adjusted HR8.492, 95% CI 2.048‐35.217, P = .003), the highest risk group. Participants with SBP of 130‐139.9 mmHg also had a significantly increased risk (adjusted HR 5.065, 95% CI 1.186‐21.633, P = .029), while those with SBP of 120‐129.9 mmHg showed no significant difference (HR 2.730, 95% CI 0.597‐12.481, P = .195). Consistently high SBP (≥ 130 mmHg) further increased NOD risk (adjusted HR 3.464, 95% CI 1.464‐8.196, P = .005). Conclusions Significant predictors of NOD included age, gender, baseline hypertension and blood pressure management. Maintaining SBP consistently below 130 mmHg may be an effective strategy to reduce the incidence of NOD in the general elderly population.