BP helps in Arterial Stiffness evaluation In Hypertensive patients

In a recent study published in Journal of the Association of Physicians of India ,researchers determined the relationship between blood pressure (BP) and arterial stiffness measured noninvasively using a periscope in hypertensive patients. It has also evaluated the usefulness of indices of arterial stiffness in cardiovascular (CV) risk stratification and the necessity to implement these aortic pressure parameters in clinical practice.

The prospective, observational study involved 3032 patients with hypertension between the age of 18 and 80 years. The demographic and anthropometric measurements of all the participants were recorded and various central and peripheral (brachial) arterial pressure parameters were measured using a periscope.

The classification of hypertensive patients for arterial stiffness had shown that 1,037 subjects had severe arterial stiffness. Classification of arterial stiffness based on BP levels had demonstrated that 623 patients with severe arterial stiffness and 315 with borderline arterial stiffness had stage II hypertension, and 480 patients with normal BP had no arterial stiffness.

As a result, the researchers concluded that the present study corroborates the use of central BP parameters as indicators of arterial stiffness in hypertensive subjects. Noninvasive measurement of these indices has wider implications in personalized risk assessment of CV risk in subjects with hypertension.

Reference: Oh, Y.S. Arterial stiffness and hypertension. Clin Hypertens 24, 17 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40885-018-0102-8