Progressive arterial wall stiffening in patients with increasing diastolicblood pressure

Background. Hypertension is an established risk factor for cardiovascular d isease. Risk factor patterns for various cardiovascular complications are d ifferent. We studied the relationship between increasing diastolic blood pr essure and arterial wall dynamics of various peripheral arteries in hyperte nsives to increase insight in the variability of properties within the arte rial tree. Methods: Eighty-six untreated hypertensives participated in this cross-sect ional study. The study-population was divided into quartiles with increasin g diastolic office blood pressure. Cross-sectional compliance and distensib ility coefficients of the carotid and femoral arteries were determined, usi ng a vessel wall movement detector system (Wall Track System(R)). Results: Diameters of both common carotid arteries enlarged (right: from 7. 4 +/- 0.2 to 7.9 +/- 0.2 mm) while cross-sectional compliance (right: from 0.61 +/- 0.04 to 0.42 +/- 0.04 mm(2)/kPa) and distensibility coefficients ( right: from 14.2 +/- 1.0 to 9.0 +/- 1.0 10(-3)/kPa) gradually dropped with increasing diastolic blood pressure. Cross-sectional compliance and diamete r of the right common femoral artery remained unchanged while distensibilit y coefficient decreased although less gradually when compared with the caro tid arteries. Conclusions: In untreated hypertensives gradual arterial wall stiffening of the carotid arteries occurred with increasing diastolic blood pressure. Gr adual changes were less clear in the common femoral artery which points to the heterogeneity of the arterial tree.