Objective To analyze the interaction between diabetes and dyslipidemia on the prevalence of hypertension in the elderly, and provide the scientific basis for the prevention and treatment of hypertension.

Methods Based on a multi-stage stratified randomized whole-group sampling method, 6934 people aged over 65 years were selected in Longzihu district Bengbu city Anhui province. The data of questionnaires, physical measurements and relevant blood biochemical tests were collected. Multivariate logistic regression analysis models were used to analyze the effects of diabetes and dyslipidemia on the prevalence of hypertension after adjusting confounding factors. The multiplicative and additive models were used to analyze the interaction effect of diabetes and dyslipidemia.

Results The prevalence of diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hypertension among elderly residents in Bengbu were 25.2%, 38.8% and 61.9%, respectively. The prevalence of hypertension complicated with diabetes, hypertension complicated with dyslipidemia and diabetes complicated with dyslipidemia were 19.1%, 25.7% and 9.4%, respectively. The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting sex, age, dietary habits, exercise status, central obesity and body mass index, the diabetes (OR = 2.082, 95%CI: 1.835–2.363) and dyslipidemia (OR = 1.235, 95%CI: 1.110–1.373) increased the risk of hypertension (P ＜ 0.01). The interaction results suggested that there was no multiplicative interaction between diabetes and dyslipidemia (OR = 0.973, 95%CI: 0.754–1.256), but additive interaction at coexist. The relative excess risk, interaction attribution ratio and interaction index were 4.346 (95%CI: 2.485–6.206), 0.649 (95%CI: 0.576–0.722) and 4.210 (95%CI: 3.379–5.243), respectively.

Conclusions There may be additive interaction between diabetes and dyslipidemia, and when the two occur simultaneously, the risk of hypertension in the elderly will be significantly increased.