Hematocrit correlates with blood pressure in young male office workers

High hematocrit (Ht) level has been reported to be a correlating factor of hypertension in aged people, but has not been examined in younger generation. To investigate the association between Ht and blood pressure (BP) in healthy young workers, statistical analysis was performed for 646 male employees, using cross-sectional health-check data. Ht was positively correlated with systolic blood pressure (SBP) and with diastolic blood pressure (DBP) by Pearson's simple correlation analysis. Multiple regression analysis for SBP and DBP was conducted by stepwise procedure, using Ht, age, body mass index (BMI), and drinking and smoking habits as independent variables. It was revealed that Ht was a significant independent variable for DBP (p < 0.001), as well as age and BMI, but not for SBP. These findings suggest that increased Ht is an important variable for assessing risk for cardiovascular disorders, especially diastolic hypertension, in young male office workers.