Home › Research › Risk factors
Visit-to-Visit Blood Pressure Variability, Glycemic Status and the Risk of Dementia, Stroke, and All-Cause Mortality: A UK Biobank Cohort Study
Han S, de Jong J, Zhou Y, Sturkenboom M, Biessels GJ, Ahmadizar F.. medRxiv, 2026-10-13
Topic: Health services, long-term care and technology
Aims The risks of dementia, stroke, and mortality increase from normoglycemia to prediabetes and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Blood pressure variability (BPV) is associated with adverse vascular and neurological outcomes, but its role in glycemia-associated risks remains unclear. We examined the interplay between glycemia, BPV, and these outcomes. Methods and Results In a large prospective cohort, visit-to-visit BPV was quantified using absolute and directional measures of systolic (SBP), diastolic (DBP), mean arterial (MAP), and pulse pressure (PP). Glycemic status was defined as normoglycemia, prediabetes, and T2D. Time-updated Cox models estimated outcome associations, adjusting for confounders and mean blood pressure. We evaluated the joint and independent associations of BPV and glycemic status with outcomes, effect modification, and attenuation of glycemia-associated risks after BPV adjustment. Among 57,611 participants (median follow-up, 5.1 years; IQR, 3.3-9.5 years), compared with normoglycemia and low BPV, T2D with high SBP variability was associated with higher risks of all-cause mortality (HR 2.80, 95% CI 2.12-3.69) and nominally higher risk of all-cause dementia (HR 2.46, 95% CI 1.37-4.42). All absolute BPV measures were independently associated with mortality, while DBP and MAP variability were associated with overall stroke after FDR correction. Additional adjustment for BPV minimally attenuated glycemia-associated risk, and no multiplicative interaction remained significant after multiple-testing correction. Conclusions Absolute BPV was associated with mortality, and DBP and MAP variability with overall stroke, after accounting for glycemic status and mean blood pressure. Additional BPV adjustment changed the glycemic association only minimally.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Han, S., de Jong, J., Zhou, Y., Sturkenboom, M., Biessels, G. J., & Ahmadizar, F. (2026). Visit-to-Visit Blood Pressure Variability, Glycemic Status and the Risk of Dementia, Stroke, and All-Cause Mortality: A UK Biobank Cohort Study. medRxiv. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.10.11.26365219
Vancouver
Han S, de Jong J, Zhou Y, Sturkenboom M, Biessels GJ, Ahmadizar F. Visit-to-Visit Blood Pressure Variability, Glycemic Status and the Risk of Dementia, Stroke, and All-Cause Mortality: A UK Biobank Cohort Study. medRxiv. 2026. doi:10.64898/2026.10.11.26365219.
BibTeX
@article{han2026-a3831342,
author = {Han, S. and de Jong, J. and Zhou, Y. and Sturkenboom, M. and Biessels, G. J. and Ahmadizar, F.},
title = {{Visit-to-Visit Blood Pressure Variability, Glycemic Status and the Risk of Dementia, Stroke, and All-Cause Mortality: A UK Biobank Cohort Study}},
journal = {medRxiv},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.11.26365219},
url = {https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.10.11.26365219}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Blood pressure variability (BPV) is associated with adverse vascular and neurological outcomes, but its role in glycemia-associated risks remains unclear.
- Methods and Results In a large prospective cohort, visit-to-visit BPV was quantified using absolute and directional measures of systolic (SBP), diastolic (DBP), mean arterial (MAP), and pulse pressure (PP).
- Among 57,611 participants (median follow-up, 5.1 years; IQR, 3.3-9.5 years), compared with normoglycemia and low BPV, T2D with high SBP variability was associated with higher risks of all-cause mortality (HR 2.80, 95% CI 2.12-3.69) and nominally higher risk of all-cause dementia (HR 2.46, 95% CI 1.37-4.42).
- All absolute BPV measures were independently associated with mortality, while DBP and MAP variability were associated with overall stroke after FDR correction.
- Additional adjustment for BPV minimally attenuated glycemia-associated risk, and no multiplicative interaction remained significant after multiple-testing correction.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Risk factors, ranked →
Study details
- Study designprospective cohort
- Participants57,611
- Effect sizeHR 2.80; HR 2.46
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 16/100
Preprint — not yet peer-reviewed. It scored 52 on the same rubric, but non-peer-reviewed sources are capped at 16, so it shows as 16. Scored zero for randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multi-centre collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 32 of the 62 points we could judge it on, which is 52 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 2 / 10 | Tier 4 — not a peer-reviewed journal (medRxiv) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | Not a journal article, so the journal's record does not count |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A prospective cohort study, followed forward from enrollment |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 4 / 10 | Preprint — not yet peer-reviewed. Hosted on a preprint server. |
| How recent | 5 / 5 | 2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 4 / 4 | 57,611 participants |
| Effect reported | 3 / 3 | Effect reported with a statistic (interval, p-value, ratio or similar) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 1 / 2 | Not in PubMed, but has a DOI |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 32 / 62 | Scored on 12 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 32 of the 62 points we could judge it on is 52 out of 100. |
| Total | 52 / 100 | Capped to 16 because this is not a peer-reviewed article. |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Free copy unknown: no free-copy check has an answer for this record yet. That does not mean it is paywalled.
Related studies in Risk factors
Also tagged “metabolic-syndrome”
304 studies in the library carry the topic tag “metabolic-syndrome”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 304 tagged studies.