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[Relationship between pulse pressure and clinical cardiovascular damage in elderly subjects of EPICARDIAN study]

M Fernández-Escribano Hernández1, C Suárez Fernández, T Sáez Vaquero

  • 1Unidad de Hipertensión, Hospital Universitario de la Princesa, Madrid, España. merche_feh@hotmail.com

Revista Clinica Espanola
|June 15, 2007
PubMed

Insights

In elderly individuals, elevated pulse pressure (PP) is strongly linked to a history of cardiovascular damage, including stroke and angina. This finding highlights PP as a critical indicator of cardiovascular risk in older populations.

Area of Science:

  • Gerontology
  • Cardiology
  • Epidemiology

Context:

  • Arterial hypertension and aging are primary cardiovascular risk factors in the elderly.
  • Aging increases systolic blood pressure (SBP) and decreases diastolic blood pressure (DBP) due to arterial stiffness.
  • Pulse pressure (PP) is an independent risk factor for mortality and cardiovascular events, especially in older adults.

Purpose:

  • To investigate the association between PP and clinical cardiovascular damage in Spanish elders.
  • To quantify the relationship between PP and existing cardiovascular damage.
  • To compare the predictive value of PP, SBP, DBP, and mean arterial pressure (MAP) for cardiovascular history.

Summary:

  • The EPICARDIAN study analyzed 2665 Spanish elders (mean age 74, 56% women).
  • Multivariate analysis revealed PP as the blood pressure component most associated with stroke, angina pectoris, and intermittent claudication.
  • Elevated PP showed significant odds ratios for these cardiovascular events (e.g., OR 1.029 for angina).

Impact:

  • Findings indicate that elevated PP is the arterial pressure component most associated with cardiovascular damage in the elderly.
  • This underscores the importance of monitoring PP in older hypertensive patients.
  • Highlights PP as a key marker for assessing cardiovascular risk and guiding clinical management in geriatric populations.
Abstract

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