Electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy in relation to peripheral and central blood pressure indices in a...

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Hypertension Research
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Inconsistent findings exist regarding the association between central and peripheral blood pressure (BP) and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH).
• Accurate assessment of BP's impact on cardiac structure is crucial for understanding cardiovascular risk.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the association of central versus peripheral blood pressure with electrocardiogram (ECG) markers of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH).
• To investigate whether central BP provides a stronger association with ECG-LVH than brachial BP in adult Nigerians.

Main Methods:

• Radial artery applanation tonometry was used to derive central BP, calibrated with brachial BP measurements.
• Generalized transfer function analysis was applied to radial artery waveforms.
• Associations between ECG voltages (Sokolow-Lyon criteria) and BP indices (central and brachial) were analyzed using multivariable regression, treating ECG-LVH as both continuous and binary variables.

Main Results:

• Increases in both central and brachial systolic, diastolic, pulse, and mean arterial pressures were similarly associated with increased Sokolow-Lyon QRS voltage.
• The odds of having ECG-defined left ventricular hypertrophy (ECG-LVH) increased similarly with a 1 SD increment in both central and brachial systolic, pulse, and mean arterial pressures.
• No statistically significant difference (p > 0.05) was observed in the strength of association between central and peripheral BP with ECG-LVH markers.

Conclusions:

• Both central and peripheral blood pressure measurements demonstrate comparable associations with Sokolow-Lyon ECG voltage and hypertrophy.
• These findings suggest that peripheral BP may be as informative as central BP in assessing the cardiac impact of hypertension in this population.