In analyses adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, sex, diabetes mellitus, body mass index, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, income, C-reactive protein, total cholesterol, education, residence, postmenopausal status, hypertension and kidney function, the HR for individuals in tertile 2 of blood lead level (1.94–3.62 μg/dL) was 0.72 (95% CI 0.46–1.12). Here, CRP is linked to hypertensive disorder.