Caffeine increases aortic stiffness in hypertensive patients.
BACKGROUND
Caffeine is the most widely used pharmacologic substance. Aortic stiffness is an important factor for cardiovascular system performance and a prognosticator of cardiovascular risk. We investigated the effect of caffeine on aortic stiffness in treated hypertensive patients.


METHODS
We studied the effect of caffeine (250 mg) in 12 treated hypertensive patients according to a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, cross-over design during a 3-h period. Aortic stiffness was evaluated by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity.


RESULTS
Systolic blood pressure (BP) and pulse pressure increased significantly throughout the study (by 12.3 and 7.4 mm Hg, P =.005 and P <.01, respectively), whereas diastolic BP did not change. Pulse wave velocity increased (by 0.57 m/sec, P <.05) denoting an increase in aortic stiffness. This effect of caffeine lasted throughout the study (3 h), peaking at 60 min and decreasing progressively thereafter.


CONCLUSIONS
These results demonstrate, for the first time, that caffeine exerts an acute unfavorable effect on aortic stiffness in treated hypertensive patients. This finding has important implications for the impact of caffeine consumption on cardiovascular risk in hypertension.
Vlachopoulos
Charalambos
C
Medical Professorial Unit, St. Vincent's Hospital and Clinic, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. cvlachop@otenet.gr
Hirata
Kozo
K
Stefanadis
Christodoulos
C
Toutouzas
Pavlos
P
O'Rourke
Michael F
MF
D001011:Aorta / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001018:Aortic Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000187:drug effects; D002110:Caffeine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004548:Elasticity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010726:Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010919:Placebos
D010726:Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors; D010919:Placebos; D002110:Caffeine