TRANSFORMING GROWTH FACTOR AND ARTERIAL STIFFNESS IN PATIENTS WITH UNCONTROLLED ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Hypertension Research
• Biomarker Discovery

Background:

• Arterial stiffness and target organ damage are key complications of hypertension.
• Transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) is implicated in cardiovascular remodeling.
• Understanding the interplay between TGF-β1, arterial stiffness, and organ damage is crucial for managing hypertension.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between TGF-β1 levels, arterial stiffness (measured by CAVI), and target organ damage in patients with uncontrolled arterial hypertension (UAH).
• To compare TGF-β1 and CAVI values across UAH, controlled hypertensive (CAH), and healthy control groups.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study involving 140 hypertensive patients (30 UAH, 80 CAH) and 30 controls.
• Measurement of serum TGF-β1 levels.
• Assessment of arterial stiffness using cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI).
• Correlation and regression analyses to identify relationships between variables.

Main Results:

• Patients with UAH exhibited significantly higher TGF-β1 levels and CAVI compared to CAH and control groups (p<0.05).
• A significant positive correlation was found between TGF-β1 levels and CAVI in hypertensive patients (r=0.777 for CAH, r=0.753 for UAH; p<0.05).
• TGF-β1 levels were significantly associated with myocardial mass, CAVI, and creatinine in hypertensive patients (p<0.05).

Conclusions:

• Elevated TGF-β1 and increased arterial stiffness are characteristic of uncontrolled hypertension.
• TGF-β1 is a potential biomarker linking arterial stiffness and target organ damage in hypertension.
• These findings highlight the importance of managing TGF-β1 and arterial stiffness to prevent hypertensive complications.