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. 2025 Apr 30:12:1500882.
doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2025.1500882. eCollection 2025.

Circulating growth differentiation factor-15 concentration and hypertension risk: a dose-response meta-analysis

Zhengqing Yu #  1 , Jianshu Gao #  2 , Zhongwei Zhou  3 , Li Li  1 , Sanqiang Hu  4
Affiliations

Circulating growth differentiation factor-15 concentration and hypertension risk: a dose-response meta-analysis

Zhengqing Yu et al. Front Cardiovasc Med. .

Abstract

Background: Growing evidence suggests that growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) may contribute to adverse clinical outcomes, such as major cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality. However, there is little information about its relationship to hypertension. This meta-analysis aimed to quantitatively evaluate the relationship between circulating GDF-15 and hypertension prevalence.

Methods: Databases searched included PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase, from inception to August 2024. The inclusion criteria were studies reporting hypertension prevalence in at least three GDF-15 categories.

Result: A total of 24 studies from 21 articles with 35,904 participants and 23,925 hypertensive cases were included in this meta-analysis. Compared with individuals with a low level of circulating GDF-15, those with high GDF-15 level had a higher prevalence of hypertension [odds ratios (OR) 1.60, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.37-1.88, P < 0.001). In the dose-response meta-analysis, the prevalence of hypertension increased by 24% with every 1 ng/ml increase in GDF-15 (OR 1.24, 95% CI 1.16-1.33, P < 0.001). However, the dose-response curve was nonlinear (P-nonlinearity < 0.001), plateauing or even decreasing slightly after GDF-15 concentrations reached approximately 5.5 ng/ml. Significant heterogeneity was detected in the pooled analysis and meta-regression analysis suggested that participants' age and the prevalence of diabetes significantly accounted for the heterogeneity.

Conclusions: Circulating GDF-15 is positively and non-linearly associated with the prevalence of hypertension, with a plateau or slight decline after reaching a certain GDF-15 dose. Systematic Review Registration: https://inplasy.com/inplasy-2023-3-0082/, identifier (INPLASY202330082).

Keywords: dose-response relationship; growth differentiation factor-15; hypertension; meta-analysis; prevalence.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The flow chart of the study selection process.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot of hypertension prevalence in individuals with high GDF-15 concentration vs. those with low GDF-15 concentration. OR, odds ratio; CI, confidence interval.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plot for study-specific prevalence of hypertension for per 1 ng/ml increase in GDF-15 concentration. OR, odds ratio; CI, confidence interval.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Dose-response correlation between circulating GDF-15 concentration and hypertension prevalence (Pnon−linearity < 0.001).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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