Related Experiment Videos
Indirect, noninvasive evaluation of pressure wave transmission in essential hypertension
B M Pannier1, M E Safar, S Laurent
1Diagnosis Center, Broussais Hospital, Paris, France.
Insights
Hypertension and aging affect arterial pulse wave transmission similarly in the aorta and brachial artery. Adaptive arterial changes in hypertension may explain why brachial blood pressure readings are comparable across age groups in hypertensive patients.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Physiology
- Hypertension Research
- Arterial Biomechanics
Background:
- Essential hypertension is characterized by sustained elevated blood pressure.
- Arterial stiffness increases with age, affecting pulse wave transmission.
- Understanding pressure wave amplitude changes is crucial for interpreting blood pressure measurements.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate adaptive changes in the arterial wall in hypertension.
- To compare pressure wave transmission from the aorta to the brachial artery in normotensive and hypertensive individuals.
- To assess the influence of age on pulse wave velocity ratios.
Main Methods:
- Measured carotid-femoral (CF) and brachioradial (BR) pulse wave velocities in 123 male subjects.
- Included 32 normal subjects and 91 age-matched patients with essential hypertension.
- Calculated the BR/CF pulse wave velocity ratio as a marker of pressure wave amplitude changes.
Main Results:
- The BR/CF pulse wave velocity ratio was similar in normotensive and hypertensive subjects.
- This ratio decreased with age similarly in both groups.
- In older subjects, pulse pressure amplitude was comparable in the aorta and brachial artery, irrespective of hypertension status.
Conclusions:
- Adaptive changes occur in the arterial (aortic) wall in hypertension.
- Age-related effects on pressure wave transmission are consistent between normal and hypertensive subjects.
- Findings are important for understanding brachial blood pressure readings in hypertensive patients.
Abstract:
Blood pressure, carotid-femoral and brachioradial pulse wave velocities were measured in 123 male subjects: 32 normal subjects and 91 age-matched patients with sustained essential hypertension. The ratio between brachioradial (BR) and carotid-femoral (CF) pulse wave velocities was used as a marker of pressure wave amplitude changes from the aorta to the brachial artery. The ratio was similar in normotensive and hypertensive subjects and decreased with age to the same extent in both populations. In older subjects, the decrease in the ratio indicated that the amplitude of pulse pressure was quite similar in the aorta and the brachial artery whether the subjects were normotensives or hypertensives. The study provided evidence that adaptive changes occur in the arterial (aortic) wall in hypertension, for the effects of age on pressure wave transmission are similar in normal subjects and hypertensive patients. Such findings may be of prime importance in understanding the brachial blood pressure readings of patients with hypertension.