title: Noninvasive assessment of atherosclerosis in patients with isolated hypertension.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Endothelial dysfunction is considered the first stage in the development of atherosclerosis. Brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) has been used to assess endothelial dysfunction. An impaired FMD response may reflect a vascular phenotype prone to atherosclerosis. The thickness of the common carotid intima-media (CIMT) as measured by ultrasound represents a marker of structural atherosclerosis. Recently, it has been shown that color M-mode propagation velocity measured along the origin of descending thoracic aorta (AVP) may reflect atherosclerosis. In this study, the effects of isolated hypertension on these atherosclerosis markers are investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty patients with newly diagnosed hypertension and forty healthy people were enrolled. Patients were evaluated with transthoracic echocardiography. Diastolic functions were evaluated by transmitral filling parameters of deceleration time (DT), E/A ratio, and isovolumetric relaxation time (IVRT). Carotid intima-media thickness, FMD, and AVP were measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Age, gender, and BMI of both groups were similar. Compared to control group CIMT, DT and IVRT values were significantly higher, and FMD and AVP values were significantly lower in hypertensive patients. There were significant correlations between AVP and CIMT (r =-0.699, P < 0.001), AVP and FMD (r = 0.400, P < 0.001), and FMD and CIMT (r =-0.600, P < 0.001). Carotid intima-media thickness, AVP, and FMD were significantly correlated with systolic and diastolic blood pressures and DT and IVRT.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients with isolated hypertension, AVP and FMD decrease and CIMT increases. In addition, CIMT is inversely correlated with AVP and FMD, and AVP is directly correlated with FMD.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Cardiology Department, Yuzuncu Yil University, Van, Turkey. guntekinunal@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Unal
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Guntekin
authors.forename: Yilmaz
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gunes
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gunes
authors.forename: Yemlihan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ceylan
authors.forename: Hasan Ali
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Gumrukcuoglu
authors.forename: Yavuz
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yucel
authors.forename: Hakki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Simsek
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tuncer
mesh_terms: D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014463:Ultrasonography