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Non-invasive Assessment of Microvascular and Endothelial Function
05:41

Non-invasive Assessment of Microvascular and Endothelial Function

Published on: January 29, 2013

Association of capillary density and function measures with blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, and insulin

Cynthia Cheng1, Constantine Daskalakis, Bonita Falkner

  • 1Department of Family and Community Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA. cynthia.cheng@jefferson.edu

Journal of Clinical Hypertension (Greenwich, Conn.)
|February 20, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Reduced capillary density and function are linked to higher systolic blood pressure but do not explain the connection between hypertension and insulin resistance.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular science
  • Metabolic research
  • Vascular biology

Background:

  • The link between hypertension and insulin resistance is not fully understood.
  • Capillary abnormalities may play a role in this association.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if reduced capillary density or function explains the hypertension-insulin resistance link.
  • To analyze the relationship between capillaroscopy measures, blood pressure, and insulin sensitivity.

Main Methods:

  • Study included 115 adults (18-55 years) with normal or elevated blood pressure.
  • Capillary density and function assessed via capillaroscopy.
  • Insulin sensitivity (IS) measured by Quantitative Insulin Sensitivity Check Index (QUICKI); endothelial function (EF) by strain-gauge plethysmography.
  • Linear regression analysis adjusted for age, sex, race, and BMI.

Main Results:

  • Capillary measures correlated with systolic blood pressure (SBP), fasting plasma glucose, and endothelial function (EF) after BMI adjustment.
  • No significant association found between capillary measures and fasting insulin or IS.
  • Capillary measures were linked to SBP but not insulin resistance.

Conclusions:

  • Capillary density and function are associated with systolic blood pressure, not directly with insulin resistance.
  • Capillary measures are unlikely to explain the link between hypertension and insulin resistance, especially in mild cases.

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