title: The relationship between carotid blood pressure reactivity to mental stress and carotid intima-media thickness.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Brachial blood pressure (BP) reactivity to stress predicts large artery damage and future cardiovascular (CV) events. Central BP is an emerging risk factor associated with target organ damage (TOD). Currently, little is known about the central BP response to mental stress and its association to TOD.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-five healthy, non-obese adults completed a computerized mental stress test. Brachial and carotid systolic (S)BP reactivity to stress were calculated as SBP during stress minus resting SBP. Resting carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) was also measured. Carotid SBP reactivity to stress was significantly associated with carotid IMT, independent of age, sex, body mass index, non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol and brachial SBP reactivity to stress (r = 0.386, p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The relationship between carotid SBP reactivity and carotid IMT suggests that the central BP response to stress may prove to be an early risk marker for potential subclinical TOD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Exercise Science, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA. Electronic address: nlsparta@syr.edu.
authors.forename: Nicole L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Spartano
authors.affiliation: Department of Exercise Science, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Jacqueline A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Augustine
authors.affiliation: Department of Exercise Science, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Wesley K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Lefferts
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Food Studies, and Nutrition, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Brooks B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Gump
authors.affiliation: Department of Exercise Science, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Kevin S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Heffernan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001132:Arm; D062186:Arterial Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D015415:Biomarkers; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000503:physiopathology*; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D012307:Risk Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D057190:Stroop Test; D013599:Systole; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D002784:Cholesterol
keywords: Carotid intima-media thickness; Central blood pressure reactivity; Mental stress
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