J Korean Med Sci.  2013 Nov;28(11):1603-1608. 10.3346/jkms.2013.28.11.1603.

Association of Serum gamma-Glutamyltransferase Level and Incident Prehypertension in Korean Men

• Chun H
• Park SK
• Ryoo JH

• KMID: 1777656
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2013.28.11.1603

Abstract

Several lines of evidence indicate that prehypertension is more atherogenic than normal blood pressure. Serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) is known to be positively associated with prehypertensive status and the progression of hypertension. However, there have been no prospective studies of serum GGT level as a predictor of prehypertension. Apparently 13,435 healthy men (mean age 42.0 +/- 6.6 yr) with normal blood pressure were included in a prospective cohort study in 2005 and were followed up to 2010 with the endpoint being incident of prehypertension. During the follow up period (median 2.80 +/- 1.44 yr; actual follow-up 37,679.1 person-year), prehypertension was developed in 7,867 (58.6%) participants. Risk estimations for incident prehypertension were analyzed based on quartiles of serum GGT levels using multivariate adjusted Cox proportional hazards model. In unadjusted model, the hazard ratio for incident prehypertension for the highest 3 quartiles of baseline serum GGT level was 1.21 (1.13-1.29), 1.29 (1.21-1.38), and 1.57 (1.47-1.67) compared the lowest quartile of serum GGT level, respectively (P for trend < 0.001). These associations still remained statistically significant, even after adjusting for multiple covariates. These findings indicate that increased serum GGT level is independently associated with incident prehypertension in Korean men.

Keyword

Gamma-Glutamyltransferase, Prehypertension; Blood Pressure

MeSH Terms

Adult
Biological Markers/blood
Blood Pressure
Cohort Studies
Humans
Hypertension/blood
Incidence
Male
Oxidative Stress
Prehypertension/*blood/epidemiology
Prospective Studies
Republic of Korea/epidemiology
gamma-Glutamyltransferase/*blood
Biological Markers
gamma-Glutamyltransferase

Reference

1. Whitfield JB. Gamma glutamyltransferase. Crit Rev Clin Lab Sci. 2001; 38:263–355.

2. Paolicchi A, Tongiani R, Tonarelli P, Comporti M, Pompella A. Gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase-dependent lipid peroxidation in isolated hepatocytes and HepG2 hepatoma cells. Free Radic Biol Med. 1997; 22:853–860.

3. Lee DH, Blomhoff R, Jacobs DR Jr. Is serum gamma glutamyltransferase a marker of oxidative stress? Free Radic Res. 2004; 38:535–539.

4. Lee DH, Silventoinen K, Hu G, Jacobs DR Jr, Jousilahti P, Sundvall J, Tuomilehto J. Serum gamma-glutamyltransferase predicts non-fatal myocardial infarction and fatal coronary heart disease among 28,838 middle-aged men and women. Eur Heart J. 2006; 27:2170–2176.

5. Lee DS, Evans JC, Robins SJ, Wilson PW, Albano I, Fox CS, Wang TJ, Benjamin EJ, D'Agostino RB, Vasan RS. Gamma glutamyltransferase and metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and mortality risk: the Framingham Heart Study. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2007; 27:127–133.

6. Lee DH, Jacobs DR Jr, Gross M, Kiefe CI, Roseman J, Lewis CE, Steffes M. Gamma-glutamyltransferase is a predictor of incident diabetes and hypertension: the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study. Clin Chem. 2003; 49:1358–1366.

7. Chobanian AV, Bakris GL, Black HR, Cushman WC, Green LA, Izzo JL Jr, Jones DW, Materson BJ, Oparil S, Wright JT Jr, et al. Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. National High Blood Pressure Education Program Coordinating Committee. Seventh report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure. Hypertension. 2003; 42:1206–1252.

8. De Marco M, de Simone G, Roman MJ, Chinali M, Lee ET, Russell M, Howard BV, Devereux RB. Cardiovascular and metabolic predictors of progression of prehypertension into hypertension: the Strong Heart Study. Hypertension. 2009; 54:974–980.

9. Vasan RS, Larson MG, Leip EP, Kannel WB, Levy D. Assessment of frequency of progression to hypertension in non-hypertensive participants in the Framingham Heart Study: a cohort study. Lancet. 2001; 358:1682–1686.

10. Zhang Y, Lee ET, Devereux RB, Yeh J, Best LG, Fabsitz RR, Howard BV. Prehypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease risk in a population-based sample: the Strong Heart Study. Hypertension. 2006; 47:410–414.

11. Yamada Y, Ishizaki M, Kido T, Honda R, Tsuritani I, Ikai E, Yamaya H. Alcohol, high blood pressure, and serum gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase level. Hypertension. 1991; 18:819–826.

12. Nilssen O, Førde OH, Brenn T. The Tromsø Study: distribution and population determinants of gamma-glutamyltransferase. Am J Epidemiol. 1990; 132:318–326.

13. Shankar A, Li J. Association between serum gamma-glutamyltransferase level and prehypertension among US adults. Circ J. 2007; 71:1567–1572.

14. Kawamoto R, Kohara K, Tabara Y, Kusunoki T, Otsuka N, Miki T. Association between serum gamma-glutamyltransferase level and prehypertension among community-dwelling men. Tohoku J Exp Med. 2008; 216:213–221.

15. Karakurt O, Cagirici G, Eryasar NE. Gamma-glutamyltransferase activity increases in prehypertensive patients. Turk J Med Sci. 2011; 41:975–980.

16. Matthews DR, Hosker JP, Rudenski AS, Naylor BA, Treacher DF, Turner RC. Homeostasis model assessment: insulin resistance and beta-cell function from fasting plasma glucose and insulin concentrations in man. Diabetologia. 1985; 28:412–419.

17. Skurtveit S, Tverdal A. Sex differences in gamma-glutamyltransferase in people aged 40-42 years in two Norwegian counties. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2002; 67:95–98.

18. Pintus F, Mascia P. Distribution and population determinants of gamma-glutamyltransferase in a random sample of Sardinian inhabitants: 'ATS-SARDEGNA' Research Group. Eur J Epidemiol. 1996; 12:71–76.

19. Lazo M, Selvin E, Clark JM. Brief communication: clinical implications of short-term variability in liver function test results. Ann Intern Med. 2008; 148:348–352.

20. Miura K, Nakagawa H, Nakamura H, Tabata M, Nagase H, Yoshida M, Kawano S. Serum gamma-glutamyltransferase level in predicting hypertension among male drinkers. J Hum Hypertens. 1994; 8:445–449.

21. Zhang H, Thijs L, Kuznetsova T, Fagard RH, Li X, Staessen JA. Progression to hypertension in the non-hypertensive participants in the Flemish Study on Environment, Genes and Health Outcomes. J Hypertens. 2006; 24:1719–1727.

22. Whelton PK, He J, Appel LJ, Cutler JA, Havas S, Kotchen TA, Roccella EJ, Stout R, Vallbona C, Karimbakas J, et al. National High Blood Pressure Education Program Coordinating Committee. Primary prevention of hypertension: clinical and public health advisory from the National High Blood Pressure Education Program. JAMA. 2002; 288:1882–1888.

23. Winegarden CR. From "prehypertension" to hypertension? additional evidence. Ann Epidemiol. 2005; 15:720–725.

24. Pastore A, Federici G, Bertini E, Piemonte F. Analysis of glutathione: implication in redox and detoxification. Clin Chim Acta. 2003; 333:19–39.

25. Haynes WG, Morgan DA, Walsh SA, Sivitz WI, Mark AL. Cardiovascular consequences of obesity: role of leptin. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. 1998; 25:65–69.

26. Lee DH, Jacobs DR Jr. Association between serum gamma-glutamyltransferase and C-reactive protein. Atherosclerosis. 2005; 178:327–330.