Association of Scalloped Tongue with Blood Pressure Among Community-Dwelling Japanese: The Toon Health Study.

Abstract

Background: In traditional East Asian medicine, scalloped tongue, characterized by dental indentations, indicates fluid retention and may be associated with hypertension. Few epidemiological studies have examined the association between scalloped tongue and blood pressure. Therefore, we aimed to examine this association in the Japanese general population.

Methods: This study included 1,681 individuals, aged 30-84 years, who had participated in the Toon Health Study. The scalloped tongue was assessed using tongue images and we classified them into two groups: scalloped and non-scalloped. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were measured and hypertension was defined as SBP ≥ 140 mmHg, DBP ≥ 90 mmHg, or the use of antihypertensive medication. Multivariable-adjusted Poisson regression analyses were used to examine the association between scalloped tongue and blood pressure after adjusting for potential confounders including age, sex and body mass index.

Results: Of the participants, 326 (19.6%) had scalloped tongue and 624 (51.6%) had hypertension. The multivariable-adjusted means of SBP were 126.6 mmHg and 129.7 mmHg in the non-scalloped and scalloped tongue groups (P < 0.01), respectively. The respective means of DBP were 76.5 mmHg and 78.0 mmHg (P = 0.02). The multivariable-adjusted prevalence ratios (95% confidence intervals) for hypertension and the highest quartile of SBP and DBP for scalloped tongue were 1.21 (1.04-1.41), 1.50 (1.23-1.84), and 1.25 (1.03-1.53), respectively, compared to the non-scalloped tongue group.

Conclusions: The present study found that participants with scalloped tongue had higher SBP and DBP, even after adjusting for potential confounding factors.