Lack of association of glycated haemoglobin with blood pressure and subclinical atherosclerosis in black South Africans: a five-year prospective study

Abstract

Objectives: Hypertension and diabetes are common in rapidly urbanising sub-Saharan African communities. However, lack of longitudinal data in these regions prevents adequate analysis of the link between measures of glycaemia and cardiovascular disease. Therefore, we examined the relationships of fasting glucose and glycated haemoglobin (HbA_1c) with brachial and central blood pressure (BP), and measures of vascular structure and function after five years in black South Africans.