title: [Structural and functional changes of the carotid artery and their relationship with subclinical inflammation in patients with H-type hypertension].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the changes in the structure and function of the carotid artery and their relationship with subclinical inflammation in patients with H-type hypertension.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty patients with H-type hypertension and 49 with non-H-type hypertension were enrolled in this study, with 20 healthy volunteers as the control group. All the subjects underwent color Doppler ultrasound examination of the carotid artery, and their blood levels of hyper-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), fibrinogen (FIB), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured to investigate the correlation between the structural and functional changes of the carotid artery and the inflammatory factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant difference was found in the blood pressure level between the H-type and non-H-type hypertension groups (136.0∓10.1 vs 131.9∓7.0 mmHg for systolic blood pressure, P>0.05; 80.9∓8.9 vs 73.2∓7.9 mmHg for diastolic pressure, P>0.05). The intima-media thickness, distensibility of the common carotid artery, carotid artery stiffness, and blood homocysteine level all showed significant differences between patients with H-type and non-H-type hypertension (1.52∓0.08 vs 1.09∓0.06 mm, 0.23∓0.14 mmHg(-1)×100 vs 0.46∓0.14 mmHg(-1)×100, and 15.37∓5.89 vs 8.19∓4.53 µmol/L, respectively, P<0.05). The H-type hypertensive patients showed significantly higher hs-CRP, FIB, and TNF-α levels than the non-H-type hypertensive patients, and these inflammatory factors were positively correlated with the structural and functional changes of the carotid artery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The patients with H-type hypertension are more likely to have carotid artery structure and function impairments, which closely correlate with the subclinical inflammatory factors. These changes might be attributed to the synergism of subclinical inflammation and hyperhomocysteinemia, for which active intervention may prove beneficial.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Zhaoting
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Qing-Zhen
authors.initials: QZ
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: Suling
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Yanqiong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D007249:Inflammation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged