title: Association of aortic flow propagation velocity with ankle-brachial blood pressure index in patients with hypertension: an observational study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Endothelial dysfunction is considered the first stage in the development of atherosclerosis and assessed by flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) and aortic flow velocity propagation (AVP). Ankle-brachial index (ABI) is used to assess peripheral arterial disease and is associated with FMD but the relationship between ABI and AVP is unknown. In this study, we aimed to search the association between AVP, and ABI in patients with newly diagnosed hypertension.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-eight patients with newly diagnosed hypertension and 34 healthy subjects were enrolled in the cross-sectional observational study. The maximum ankle arterial pressures were divided by the maximum of the brachial arterial pressures to calculate the ABI. AVP was calculated from dividing the distance between points corresponding to the beginning and end of the propagation slope, to the duration between corresponding time points proximally descending aorta. Statistical analysis was performed using Student t-test, Chi-square test, Pearson correlation and linear regression analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Age and gender of both groups were similar. Compared to control group E deceleration time of early diastolic flow velocity (184.0±32.2 vs. 217.1±38.6, p<0.001), isovolumic relaxation time (95.5±19.4 vs. 105.7±18.1, p<0.001) and body mass index (25.6±5.1 vs. 27.5±3.8, p=0.044) values were significantly higher, while ABI (1.08±0.07 vs. 1.14±0.07, p=0.001) and AVP (54.97±9.3 vs. 69.17±10.8 cm/sec, p=0.001) values were significantly lower in hypertensive patients. There was a significant correlation between AVP and ABI (r=0.279, p=0.005). Both ABI and AVP were independent predictors of hypertension (OR - 0.353, 95%CI 0.151-0.826, p=0.02 and OR - 0.133, 95%CI 0.0502-0.35, p=0.001, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data indicate that in patients with isolated hypertension AVP and ABI decrease. We also conclude that AVP is directly associated with ABI.
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Cardiology, Urfa Heart Center, Şanlıurfa-Turkey.
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Güneş
authors.forename: Ünal
authors.initials: Ü
authors.lastname: Güntekin
authors.forename: Sema
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yıldız
authors.forename: Bedri Caner
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Kaya
authors.forename: Ethem
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Deveci
authors.forename: Zekeriya
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kaya
authors.forename: Yusuf
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sezen
authors.forename: Asuman Biçer
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Yeşilay
authors.forename: Recep
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Demirbağ
mesh_terms: D055109:Ankle Brachial Index; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016491:Peripheral Vascular Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014463:Ultrasonography; D059289:Vascular Stiffness