## 1 Introduction  
Hypertension, a chronic disease characterized by blood pressure (BP) higher than the normal range, is a major global health concern and a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and death from its associated complications [1; 2; 3]. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 1.13 billion people worldwide have hypertension, with most living in low- and middle-income countries [4]. In turn, according to the Global Burden of Disease 2016 Lifetime Risk of Stroke Collaborators, the global risk of stroke increased from 22.8% in 1990 to 24.9% in 2016 [5]. Stroke, which refers to the neurological symptoms that occur suddenly consequent to cerebral blood flow abnormalities, has thus become a major negative influence on economic and social development [6; 7].  
Numerous studies support the association between hypertension and vascular diseases [8; 9; 10; 11; 12; 13; 14; 15; 16; 17; 18]. In a US-based study, [PERSON] et al. showed that hypertension is a highly important risk factor for stroke [8],as did [PERSON] et al. for the UK [9]. In particular, [PERSON] et al. demonstrated that the morning systolic BP (SBP) and difference between morning and evening SBP are associated with stroke [10]. [PERSON] et al. showed the mean arterial BP, diastolic BP (DBP), and SBP to be associated with ischemic stroke or death [11]. Meanwhile, [PERSON] et al. found that prehypertension was associated with CVD and MI but not atheorthrombotic brain infarction (ABI) or stroke [12]. Furthermore, low-density lipoprotein and serum uric acid were shown to associate with hypertension by [PERSON] et al. [13].  
The association of anthropometric and body composition indices with hypertension or stroke has also been examined [19; 20; 21; 22; 23; 24; 25; 26; 27; 28]. For example, waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) were associated with hypertension by [PERSON] et al. [19], whereas associations were found with WC, WHR, and body mass index (BMI) values in a Canadian study [20]. [PERSON] et al. revealed that increased visceral adiposity was associated with incident hypertension [21], and abdominal fat mass was shown by [PERSON] et al. to be strongly associated with hypertension in women [22]. Moreover, decreased lumbar spine bone mineral density (BMD) was associated with hypertension in a study by [PERSON] et al. [23]. In turn, WC, WHR, and WHtR were shown by [PERSON] et al. to be associated with stroke and transient ischemic attack [24]. In women, WC, WHR, and WHtR were associated with stroke but not BMI in a study by [PERSON] et al. [25]. [PERSON] et al. also revealed an association between WHtR and stroke, with abdominal fat mass also associated after adjustment for BMI [26]. Finally, femoral neck BMD was identified as an independent predictor of stroke [27; 28]; notably, although this result retained significance after adjustment for confounding factors, the association was specific to women [28].  
Nevertheless, to our knowledge no research comparing and analyzing anthropometric and body composition indices has been published regarding patients with both hypertension and stroke (hypertension + stroke). Therefore, the aim of the present study was to compare the association of these indices with hypertension and hypertension + stroke in the Korean population. Using binary logistic regression analysis by SPSS analysis software, we determined the odds ratio (OR) values and \(p\)-values for evaluating the association with hypertension and stroke among all variables. The findings of the present study will provide basic knowledge related to the associations of hypertension and stroke with anthropometric and body composition indices to facilitate the prevention and management of patients with both disorders.