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Measuring the Carotid to Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity (Cf-PWV) to Evaluate Arterial Stiffness
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Measuring the Carotid to Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity (Cf-PWV) to Evaluate Arterial Stiffness

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Association between left ventricular hypertrophy and changes in arterial stiffness during hypertensive treatment

Hisashi Masugata1, Shoichi Senda, Michio Inukai

  • 1Department of Integrated Medicine, Kagawa University , Kagawa , Japan .

Clinical and Experimental Hypertension (New York, N.Y. : 1993)
|July 16, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Antihypertensive therapy may improve arterial stiffness, measured by cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI). However, patients with left ventricular hypertrophy may find it difficult to improve CAVI during treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Vascular Medicine
  • Hypertension Management

Background:

  • Arterial stiffness, assessed by cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI), is a key indicator of cardiovascular health.
  • Antihypertensive therapy is known to potentially improve arterial stiffness.
  • Factors influencing changes in CAVI during antihypertensive treatment remain incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the factors that influence changes in arterial stiffness, as measured by CAVI, during antihypertensive therapy.
  • To identify patient characteristics associated with improvement or worsening of CAVI under treatment.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 80 treated hypertensive patients was observed over 24 months.
  • Patients were categorized into two groups based on CAVI change: decrease (Group 1) or increase (Group 2).
  • Baseline demographic, clinical, and echocardiographic data, including left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and systolic blood pressure, were analyzed.

Main Results:

  • Patients with increased CAVI (Group 2) were older and had higher baseline LVMI and systolic blood pressure compared to those with decreased CAVI (Group 1).
  • No significant difference in the use of specific antihypertensive drug classes (ARBs, CCBs) was observed between groups.
  • Changes in CAVI during antihypertensive therapy were significantly correlated with baseline LVMI (r=0.289, p=0.009).

Conclusions:

  • Baseline left ventricular mass index is a significant factor associated with changes in arterial stiffness (CAVI) during antihypertensive therapy.
  • Improving arterial stiffness assessed by CAVI may be challenging in hypertensive patients with pre-existing left ventricular hypertrophy.
  • Further research is needed to optimize antihypertensive strategies for patients with arterial stiffness and LVH.

Keywords:
Arterial stiffnesscardio-ankle vascular indexhypertensionleft ventricular hypertrophy

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