Progressive arterial wall stiffening in patients with increasing diastolic blood pressure.
BACKGROUND
Hypertension is an established risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Risk factor patterns for various cardiovascular complications are different. We studied the relationship between increasing diastolic blood pressure and arterial wall dynamics of various peripheral arteries in hypertensives to increase insight in the variability of properties within the arterial tree.


METHODS
Eighty-six untreated hypertensives participated in this cross-sectional study. The study-population was divided into quartiles with increasing diastolic office blood pressure. Cross-sectional compliance and distensibility coefficients of the carotid and femoral arteries were determined, using a vessel wall movement detector system (Wall Track System).


RESULTS
Diameters of both common carotid arteries enlarged (right: from 7.4 +/- 0.2 to 7.9 +/- 0.2 mm) while cross-sectional compliance (right: from 0.61 +/- 0.04 to 0.42 +/- 0.04 mm(2)/kPa) and distensibility coefficients (right: from 14.2 +/- 1.0 to 9.0 +/- 1.0 10(-3)/kPa) gradually dropped with increasing diastolic blood pressure. Cross-sectional compliance and diameter of the right common femoral artery remained unchanged while distensibility coefficient decreased although less gradually when compared with the carotid arteries.


CONCLUSIONS
In untreated hypertensives gradual arterial wall stiffening of the carotid arteries occurred with increasing diastolic blood pressure. Gradual changes were less clear in the common femoral artery which points to the heterogeneity of the arterial tree.
van den Berkmortel
F W
FW
Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, University Hospital Nijmegen, The Netherlands. F.Vandenberkmortel@aig.azn.nl
van der Steen
M
M
Hoogenboom
H
H
Wollersheim
H
H
van Langen
H
H
Thien
T
T
D000328:Adult; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors