Relationship between increased arterial stiffness and other markers of target organ damage.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of the present study was to assess the relationship of arterial stiffness with other markers of target organ damage, and the clinical factors related to it.


METHODS
Cross-sectional study that included 208 (115 men) never treated hypertensive, non-diabetic patients (mean age, 49+/-12 years). In addition to a full clinical study, 24h ambulatory blood pressure (BP), and determination of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and microalbuminuria were performed. Clinical arterial stiffness was assessed by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) obtained with applanation tonometry (SphygmoCor-System).


RESULTS
PWV was 8.3 (7.3-9.9)m/s (median, interquartile range). Stepwise regression analysis revealed that age (beta=0.086, p<0.001), 24-h pulse pressure (beta=0.058, p<0.001), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (beta=0.009, p<0.013) were independent determinants of PWV. PWV>12m/s (indicating target organ lesion) was present in only 16 (7.7%) patients, less frequent than LVH (28% of the patients) and microalbuminuria (16%). However, of the 16 patients with elevated PWV, 10 (62%) had neither LVH or microalbuminuria. In a logistic multivariate regression analysis the factors related to elevated PWV were age > or =45 in man and > or =55 in women (OR: 23.8, 95% CI: 2.7-195.5; p=0.004), LDL cholesterol > or =160mg/dl (OR: 10.6, 95% CI: 2.6-42.7; p=0.001) and increased 24-h pulse pressure > or =55mmHg (OR: 3.9, 95% CI: 1.2-12.9; p=0.03).


CONCLUSIONS
In untreated middle age hypertensives arterial stiffness assessed by PWV is less frequent than LVH or microalbuminuria. PWV is mainly related to age, LDL cholesterol, and pulse pressure values.
Rodilla
Enrique
E
Hospital de Sagunto, Agencia Valenciana de Salud, Sagunto, Valencia, España.
Costa
José Antonio
JA
Pérez-Lahiguera
Francisco
F
González
Carmen
C
Pascual
José María
JM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000419:Albuminuria / Q000175:diagnosis; D001769:Blood; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000175:diagnosis; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008365:Manometry; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011674:Pulse; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D002784:Cholesterol