[Pulse pressure and common carotid arterial wall thickness assessed by ultrasonography]

This study was conducted on a total of 358 normotensive (mean blood pressure < 107 mmHg) inpatients (182 men and 176 women, mean age: 67.8 years) who had no cardiorenal or nutrition disorders that would affect blood pressure, lipid and glucose metabolism and who had not been given depressors or antilipidemic agents during the four years from September 1995 to August 1999. In addition to the known risk factors for atherosclerosis, the effects of pulse pressure and mean blood pressure on sclerotic changes of the carotid arteries were examined. These sclerotic changes were assessed by measuring the thickness of the combined intima-media of the common carotid artery (carotid arterial wall thickness) by ultrasonography (Hitachi EUB-565) and linear probe (7.5 MHz). When the patients were divided into three groups based on pulse pressure (PP1, lower than 51 mmHg: PP2, 51-65 mmHg; PP3, higher than 65 mmHg), the age of the group with higher pulse pressure was significantly higher (p = 0.0011), women more (p = 0.0315). However there were no differences in background factors such as body mass index, Brinkman index, lipid metabolism, uric acid, and glucose metabolism. There was observed a positive correlation between the mean blood pressure and the pulse pressure for both men and women (r = 0.31, p < 0.001, respectively). As for the relation between the pulse pressures and the blood pressure parameters, the systolic blood pressure, pulse pressure and the mean blood pressure were significantly higher in the group with higher pulse pressure (p < 0.001, respectively), but the diastolic blood pressure was significantly lower (p = 0.0275). As for the relation between the pulse pressure and the carotid wall thickness, the groups of both men and women with higher pulse pressures had significantly greater carotid arterial wall thickness (p < 0.001, p = 0.0042, respectively). Logistic regression analysis of the carotid arterial wall thickness (defined as hypertrophic if greater than 1.0 mm) as the object variable and various risk factors including pulse pressure as the explanatory variables revealed that pulse pressure and LDL-C were significant independent contributing factors for men. The age, Brinkman index, T-Chol and HDL-C were significant independent contributing factors for women. For all subjects men, the age, Brinkman index, pulse pressure, TG and LDL-C were significant independent contributing factors. These facts suggest that pulse pressure is an important risk factor for thickening of the carotid arterial wall.