AIM: Hypertension and Diabetes are important metabolic disorders and risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. Although factors that are associated with hypertension and diabetes for cardiometabolic diseases are well established, little is known regarding factors that are associated with their joint occurrence. This study aims to determine factors that are associated with hypertension and diabetes comorbidity (HDC). This study also examines the risk factors that are independently associated with hypertension and diabetes and their joint occurrence.

METHODS: This study utilized data from a cross-sectional survey of the United States Nationwide National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) using the 2017-2020 pre-pandemic dataset. The aim was to investigate the potential links between various demographic, behavioral, and clinical factors, and the likelihood of developing both hypertension and diabetes. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to examine these associations.

RESULTS: An increase in age and Body Mass Index (BMI) was associated with increased odds of diabetes, hypertension, and HDC. Race/ethnicity and educational level also was found to be positively associated with increased odds of hypertension, diabetes, and HDC with men having an increased odds compared to females. NHB and Hispanics were disproportionately affected by metabolic disorders.

CONCLUSION: The findings of this study suggest several factors, including age, BMI, race/ethnicity, and total cholesterol levels, were found to be closely linked to the occurrence of both diabetes and hypertension. Public health interventions should be implemented specifically for these high-risk population groups to decrease the burden of these conditions and also reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease in the United States.