title: Low-dose doxazosin improved aortic stiffness and endothelial dysfunction as measured by noninvasive evaluation.
abstract: Evaluation of atherosclerosis is important in the treatment of hypertension. To evaluate the preventive effects of a small amount of alpha-blockade, arterial and endothelial dysfunction were measured by noninvasive tests, i.e., pulse wave velocity, acceleration plethysmography and strain-gauge plethysmography, in patients with essential hypertension. Fifteen patients (65+/-3 years old) with essential hypertension (WHO stage I or II) were analyzed in this study. We performed noninvasive evaluations to measure aortic stiffness and endothelial dysfunction, in addition to measuring blood pressure, cholesterol profile, and levels of cells adhesion molecules and nitric oxide before and 6 and 12 months after the start of doxazosin treatment (1.0 mg/day). Blood pressure and heart rate did not significantly change during treatment. The pulse wave velocity index was significantly reduced both at 6 (7.72+/-0.23 m/s; p<0.05) and 12 (7.34+/-0.26 m/s; p<0.05) months after the start of treatment compared to the pretreatment level that at baseline. There was also a significant improvement in b/a after 12 months (-0.46+/-0.04; p<0.05) and in d/a after 6 months (-0.38+/-0.03; p<0.05) and 12 months (-0.39+/-0.03; p=0.05) compared to the pretreatment values. Moreover, reactive hyperemia evaluated by strain-gauge plethysmography after 6 months (1.34+/-0.11; p<0.05) and 12 months (1.49+/-0.16; p<0.05) was significantly improved compared to that before treatment, and NOx was significantly increased after 12 months (89.7+/-15.7 micromol/l; p<0.005). These data suggest that a low dose of doxazosin may play an important role in improving arterial stiffness and endothelial dysfunction without changing cardiac hemodynamics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Medicine, Osaka University Medical School, Suita, Japan.
authors.forename: Norio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Komai
authors.forename: Mitsuru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohishi
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moriguchi
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yanagitani
authors.forename: Toyohisa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jinno
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Tomohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Katsuya
authors.forename: Hiromi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rakugi
authors.forename: Jitsuo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Higaki
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ogihara
mesh_terms: D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001011:Aorta / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017292:Doxazosin / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004548:Elasticity; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006940:Hyperemia / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009566:Nitrates / Q000097:blood; D009573:Nitrites / Q000097:blood; D010991:Plethysmography; D011674:Pulse
chemical_list: D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists; D009566:Nitrates; D009573:Nitrites; D017292:Doxazosin