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Updated: Feb 3, 2026
Evaluation of Right Ventricular Function in Experimental Models of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Published on: June 27, 2025
Arterial stiffness is associated with target organ damage in subjects with pre-hypertension
Shaoyun Wu1, Dubo Chen2, Xun Zeng3
1Department of Cardiology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Insights
Increased arterial stiffness is linked to target organ damage in pre-hypertensive individuals. Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV) effectively identifies left ventricular hypertrophy and albuminuria in this population.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Hypertension Research
- Diagnostic Markers
Background:
- Pre-hypertension is a critical stage preceding established hypertension.
- Early identification of target organ damage is crucial for intervention.
- Arterial stiffness is an emerging risk factor in cardiovascular disease.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between arterial stiffness and target organ damage in pre-hypertensive subjects.
- To determine if increased arterial stiffness predicts left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and albuminuria.
- To evaluate carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV) as a marker for early organ damage.
Main Methods:
- Recruited 420 pre-hypertensive subjects.
- Assessed left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) via echocardiography.
- Measured urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ALB/Cr) and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV).
Main Results:
- Prevalence of albuminuria and LVH was 8.6% and 11.7%, respectively.
- Subjects with arterial stiffness showed significantly higher cf-PWV and ALB/Cr ratios.
- Increased cf-PWV was independently associated with LVH (41% increased odds) and albuminuria (24% increased odds) after multivariate adjustment.
Conclusions:
- Arterial stiffness is an independent predictor of LVH and albuminuria in pre-hypertensive individuals.
- cf-PWV serves as a valuable non-invasive marker for detecting subclinical organ damage.
- Early detection and management of arterial stiffness may prevent progression to hypertension and its complications.
Introduction:
Present study was to evaluate whether increased arterial stiffness was associated with target organ damage in pre-hypertensive subjects.
Material And Methods:
Pre-hypertensive subjects enrolled and echocardiography was used to evaluate left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and the first morning urine was collected to evaluate albumin and creatinine ratio (ALB/Cr ratio). Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV) was measured.
Results:
A total of 420 subjects were recruited and mean age was 42.6 years. Mean systolic/diastolic blood pressure (SBP/DBP) were 130 ±9 mm Hg and 85 ±4 mm Hg. The prevalence of albuminuria and left ventricular hypertrophy was 8.6 % and 11.7 %. Mean cf-PWV was 9.2 ±1.0 m/s, with arterial stiffness prevalence was 8.8%. Subjects with arterial stiffness had higher cf-PWV value (10.6 ±0.4 m/s vs. 8.7 ±0.6 m/s, p < 0.05), and ALB/Cr ratio (28.3 ±13.2 µg/mg vs. 23.1 ± 11.4 µg/mg, p < 0.05). Overall, with multivariate regression analysis, aging and arterial stiffness were significantly associated with pre-hypertension. With stepwise adjusted for potential covariates including age, male gender, fasting plasma glucose, presence of current cigarette smoking, dyslipidemia, statins and SBP, increased cf-PWV remained independently associated with left ventricular hypertrophy and albuminuria, with an increased odds of 41 % and 24 % (p < 0.05), respectively.
Conclusions:
In pre-hypertensive subjects, arterial stiffness is independently associated with LVH and albuminuria and cf-PWV may be a useful marker to identify target organ damage in pre-hypertensive subjects.
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