Local carotid arterial stiffness is an independent determinant of left ventricular remodeling in never-treated hypertensive patients.
PURPOSE
The aim was to investigate the association between blood pressure (BP), carotid stiffness, carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) and left ventricular (LV) remodeling in never-treated hypertensive patients.


MATERIAL AND METHODS
178 never-treated hypertensive underwent transthoracic echocardiography, 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM), local carotid stiffness and regional cfPWV assessed using a high-definition echo-tracking ultrasound system and a tonometric transducer, respectively. LV parameters and arterial stiffness were also considered in dippers and non-dippers.


RESULTS
Mean night-time BP best correlated with carotid and LV parameters. Carotid stiffness parameters (β-index, pressure-strain elastic modulus, one-point PWV) correlated with LV mass, relative wall thickness, and E/A ratio while cfPWV correlated only with E/A ratio. In multiple regression analysis, age and mean night-time ABPM had a stroger relation with carotid stiffness than cfPWV. In a second multiple regression analysis, day and night ABPM and carotid stiffness were independently related with LV remodeling and left atrial volume. In non-dippers, local carotid stiffness parameters were significantly higher than in dippers, whereas cfPWV was not significantly different.


CONCLUSIONS
Carotid stiffness parameters are independently associated with LV remodeling and have an additive effect to BP and over cfPWV moreover local arterial stiffness is higher in non-dippers.
['Vriz|Olga|O|', 'Magne|Julien|J|', 'Jarosh|Joanna|J|', 'Bossone|Eduardo|E|', 'Aboyans|Victor|V|', 'Palatini|Paolo|P|']
D000328:Adult D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory D002339:Carotid Arteries D004452:Echocardiography D005260:Female D006801:Humans D006973:Hypertension D008297:Male D008875:Middle Aged D063177:Pulse Wave Analysis D012044:Regression Analysis D059289:Vascular Stiffness D020257:Ventricular Remodeling
Hypertension local carotid stiffness ambulatory blood pressure monitoring left ventricle regional aortic stiffness