SEX-DIFFERENCES IN CORRELATES OF STEADY-STATE AND PULSATILE COMPONENTOF BLOOD-PRESSURE

1. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether metabolic fact ors are linked to the steady component and the pulsatile component of blood pressure, evaluated as mean arterial pressure and pulse pressure respectively, in a sex-specific manner. 2. A cohort of 299 subjects ( 152 males, 147 females; 25-80 years of age) was studied, Patients pres enting congestive heart failure, coronary insufficiency, severe valvul ar heart disease, neurological accident in the last 6 months, renal or respiratory failure, cancer, diabetes mellitus or acute infectious di sease were excluded, None of the women was taking oral contraceptives or oestrogen supplementation. All cardioactive drugs were withdrawn at least 2 weeks before the subjects entered the study, 3. Men presented higher mean arterial pressure (120 +/- 15 compared with 115 +/- 16 mm Hg, P<0.01) and lower pulse pressure values (63 +/- 16 compared with 6 7 +/- 18 mmHg, P<0.05) than women. In men, no significant relation bet ween mean arterial pressure and the tested variables was detected; mul tiple regression analysis demonstrated that age contributed independen tly to the model for pulse pressure with a multiple r(2) of 0.10 (P<0. 01). In women, body mass index contributed independently to the model for mean arterial pressure, with a multiple of 0.12 (P<0.005); age and , to a lesser extent, body mass index, glycaemia and triglyceridaemia persisted as independent determinants of pulse pressure at the multipl e regression analysis, with a multiple r(2) of 0.20 (P<0.001). 4. Our findings suggest that metabolic risk factors are associated differentl y with pulse pressure and mean arterial pressure values in the two sex es.