title: Office normotensives with a minimal augmentation of intima-media thickness of common carotid arteries: really normotensives?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Blood pressure is an independent predictor of target organ damage (TOD). Recent data from literature suggest that TOD can be present also in pre-hypertensive subjects, diagnosed with pressure monitoring (PM). Aim of this study is to clarify whether an augmentation of the carotid Intima-Media Thickness (cIMT) in office prehypertensives is a TOD associated to monitoring prehypertension (MP).
  
  
  METHODS
  We have analyzed our database of individuals  office normotensives showing an increase of cIMT. The ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) of these was compared with those of office monitoring normotensives, matched by age and gender, antropometric characteristics, negative for familial hypertension and other risk factors (true normotensives, TN).
  
  
  RESULTS
  We have selected 15 presumable prehypetensives (PP) and 8 TN subjects. The ABPM (ambulatory blood pressure monitoring) analysis confirmed that neither the PP nor TN showed systolic (S) and diastolic (D) BP within-day values above their day-night upper reference limits. However the statistical comparison between PP and TN revealed that the first group had a significant elevation of SBP and DBP Daily Mean Level (DML(SBP/DBP): 121 ± 2/81 ± 2 vs 112 ± 2/70 ± 2 mmHg, respectively, p = 0.007 and p = 0.002), confirming the MP diagnosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results demonstrate that cIMT increase in PP fulfill the criteria for MP diagnosis, suggesting that MP should be undertaken in all PP with altered cIMT, but larger prospective studies are needed.
authors: Departments of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties; IBPM, National Council of Researches; Medical-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies; Pediatrics Department; Medical Therapy; Vascular Surgery "Paride Stefanini"; "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy. gino.iannucci@uniroma1.it.
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Iannucci
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Balsano
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Paroli
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Scarpellini
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Leone
authors: M F
authors: MF
authors: Giannoni
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D062186:Arterial Pressure; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination / Q000379:methods; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009819:Office Visits; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D058246:Prehypertension / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies