Superiority of 24-Hour Aortic Over 24-Hour Brachial Pressure to Associate With Carotid Arterial Damage on the Basis of Pressure Amplification Variability: the SAFAR Study

Background: Evidence suggests marginal superiority of static aortic systolic blood pressure (aSBP) compared with brachial SBP regarding the association with organ damage and prognosis of cardiovascular disease. The noninvasive 24-hour aSBP assessment is feasible and associates better with presence of left ventricular hypertrophy compared with 24-hour brachial systolic blood pressure. We aimed at comparing the association of 24-hour aSBP and 24-hour brachial systolic blood pressure with indices of arterial damage and examining the role of 24-hour SBP amplification variability (within-subjects’ SD) in this association. Methods: Consecutive subjects referred for cardiovascular disease risk assessment underwent 24-hour aortic and brachial ambulatory BP monitoring using a validated oscillometric device (Mobil-O-Graph). Arterial damage was assessed by carotid intima-media thickness and detection of carotid and femoral atheromatosis (plaque presence). Results: Cross-sectionally 501 individuals (aged 54±13 years, 57% men, 80% hypertensives) were examined. Multivariable analysis revealed superiority of 24-hour aSBP regarding the association with intimal-medial thickness, carotid hypertrophy and carotid—but not femoral—atheromatosis. In receiver operator characteristics analysis, 24-hour aBP displayed a higher discriminatory ability—compared to 24-hour brachial systolic blood pressure—for the detection of both carotid hypertrophy (area under the curve, 0.662 versus 0.624, P <0.05) and carotid atheromatosis (area under the curve, 0.573 versus 0.547, P <0.05). This effect was more prominent in individuals with above-median 24-hour SD of SBP amplification. Conclusions: Our results suggest that 24-hour aSBP assessment may be of significant value in clinical practice to detect site-specific arterial damage on the basis of pressure amplification variability and should be prospectively examined in clinical trials.

Renal biomarkers reflect overall hypertensive organ damage: “one organ to rule them all”

Background/Introduction Hypertension is associated with higher cardiovascular risk as well as several markers of subclinical target organ damage (TOD). Albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR) in urine has been recognized as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular events. Purpose We hypothesized that there is a relationship between ACR and markers of TOD in never-treated hypertensives. Methods We enrolled 924 consecutive essential hypertensives (mean age 53±12 years, 486 males) without known cardiovascular disease (CVD). Markers of subclinical TOD [left ventricular mass index (LVMI), pulse wave velocity (PWV), ankle-brachial index (ABI) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)] were evaluated in all patients. LVMI was assessed echocardiographically using the Devereux formula. Carotid-femoral PWV was estimated with the Complior device. eGFR was calculated by the Cockcroft-Gault formula. ABI was calculated by dividing the highest ankle systolic blood pressure by the highest brachial systolic blood pressure. Results ACR exhibited significant association with LVMI (r=0.277, p&lt;0.001, Figure), PWV (r=0.277, p&lt;0.001) ABI (r=−0.078, p=0.018) and eGFR (r=−0.100, p=0.002). In further analysis, ACR was associated with TOD as suggested by the 2018 European Guidelines for Hypertension [left ventricular hypertrophy (LVMI&gt;115 g/m2 in men and &gt;95 g/m2 in women), increased PWV (PWV&gt;10m/s), decreased ABI (ABI&lt;0.9) and decreased renal function (eGFR&lt;60ml/min)]. Specifically, ACR exhibited significant association with the number of TOD and this association was independent of age and gender (p&lt;0.05). Conclusions Our findings support the close relationship between ACR and TOD in hypertension, as well as, the predictive ability of ACR for TOD. FUNDunding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None. Association between LVMI and ACR

Differential associations of ankle and brachial blood pressures with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases: cross-sectional study

Increased brachial systolic blood-pressure (BP) predicts diabetes (T2DM) but is not fully effective. Value of absolute ankle systolic BP for T2DM compared to brachial systolic BP is not known. Our objectives were to assess independent relationships of ankle-systolic BP with T2DM and cardiovascular disease in Europeans and south Asians. Cross-sectional studies of anonymised data from registered adults (n = 1087) at inner city deprived primary care practices. Study includes 63.85% ethnic minority. Systolic BP of the left and right-brachial, posterior-tibial and dorsalis-pedis-arteries measured using a Doppler probe. Regression models’ factors were age, sex, ethnicity, body mass index (BMI) and waist height ratio (WHtR). Both brachial and ankle systolic-BP increase with diabetes in Europeans and south Asians. We demonstrated that there was a significant positive independent association of ankle BP with diabetes, regardless of age and sex compared to Brachial. There was stronger negative association of ankle blood pressure with cardiovascular disease, after adjustment for BMI, WHtR and ethnicity. Additionally, we found that ankle BP were significantly associated with cardiovascular disease in south Asians more than the Europeans; right posterior tibial. Ankle systolic BPs are superior to brachial BPs to identify risks of Type 2DM and cardiovascular diseases for enhanced patient care.

Association between central non-dipping pattern and platelets morphology in adults with type 1 diabetes without cardiovascular disease: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundPeople with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) have higher cardiovascular risk (CVR) compared to those from the general population. One of the markers of elevated CVR is a non-dipping pattern. Mean platelet volume (MPV) and platelet distribution width (PDW) are related to platelets' activation. Aortic systolic blood pressure (SBP Ao) has a better predictive value for cardiovascular disease than brachial systolic blood pressure (SBP Br). Hypertensives with non-dipping pattern have higher MPV than dippers. However, this relationship was never investigated among people with T1DM. This study aimed to investigate the association between central dipping pattern and platelets morphology in subjects with T1DM.MethodsWe measured SBPAo and SBPBr with a validated non-invasive brachial oscillometric device - Arteriograph 24 (TensioMed Ltd., Budapest, Hungary) - during twenty-four-hour analysis in T1DM subjects without diagnosed hypertension. The non-dipping pattern was defined as a nocturnal SBP Ao fall of less than 10%. We collected medical history, anthropometrical features, and laboratory results. The group was divided based on the dipping pattern for dippers and non-dippers. ResultsFrom total 62 subjects (32 males) aged 30.1 (25.7-37) years with T1DM duration 15.0 (9.0-20) years, 36 were non-dippers based on SBP Ao. Non-dipper group had significantly higher MPV (10.4 [10-10.7] fl vs 10.9 [10.3-11.5] fl; p = 0.03) and PDW (12.3 [11.7-12.8] fl vs 13.95 [11.7-15.1] fl; p=0.02) than dipper group. The groups did not differ in classic risk factors. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that MPV (OR: 3.74; 95% CI =1.48-9.45; p = 0.005) and daily insulin intake (OR: 445.11; 95% CI = 4.25 - 46597.42; p = 0.01) were independently positively associated with non-dipping pattern based on SBP Ao. PDW was also independently positively related to central non-dipping pattern (OR: 1.91; 95% CI = 1.22 - 3.00; p = 0.005).ConclusionsT1DM subjects with central non-dipping pattern have higher values of MPV and PDW than dippers. MPV and PDW are independently positively associated with SBP Ao non-dipping pattern among people with T1DM.

Effect of oral L-citrulline on brachial and aortic blood pressure defined by resting status: evidence from randomized controlled trials

Background Experimental evidence indicates that oral L-citrulline (L-Cit) may reduce resting blood pressure (BP) as well as BP responses to exercise and cold exposure (non-resting). However, results from human intervention trials are inconsistent. This study aims to summarize the clinical evidence regarding the effects of L-Cit supplementation on brachial systolic blood pressure (SBP), brachial diastolic blood pressure (DBP), in addition to aortic SBP and aortic DBP at rest and non-resting conditions. Methods Multiple databases including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane library, Web of Science, and Clinical Trials were searched systematically. Randomized controlled trials of human participants were quantitatively meta-analyzed. Results Fourteen trials contained in eight studies were available for quantitative syntheses for brachial BP. Results showed that L-Cit supplementation significantly reduced both brachial SBP (− 4.490 mmHg, 95% CI: − 7.332 to − 1.648, P = 0.002) and brachial DBP (− 3.629 mmHg, 95% CI: − 5.825 to − 1.434, P = 0.001). Nine of the trials were meta-analyzed for aortic BP which showed that L-Cit intervention significantly reduced aortic SBP (− 6.763 mmHg, 95% CI: − 10.991 to − 2.534, P = 0.002), but not aortic DBP (− 3.396 mmHg, 95% CI: − 7.418 to 0.627, P = 0.098). The observed reducing effects of L-Cit appeared stronger for non-resting than for resting brachial SBP (P for difference = 0.044). Conclusion L-Cit supplementation significantly decreased non-resting brachial and aortic SBP. Brachial DBP was significantly lowered by L-Cit regardless of resting status. Given the relatively small number of available trials in the stratified analyses and the potential limitations of these trials, the present findings should be interpreted cautiously and need to be confirmed in future well-designed trials with a larger sample size.

Comparison between Central and Brachial Blood Pressure in Hypertensive Elderly Women and Men

Aim. To compare the values of central and brachial systemic blood pressure (SBP) between women and men over 60 years of age with systemic arterial hypertension. Methods. This study was a quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study with elderly patients admitted to and selected from spontaneous and scheduled demand at basic health units in Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil, between March 2013 and March 2014. We included 69 study participants and compared central and brachial SBP using a Sphygmocor® XCEL device (AtCor Medical, Sydney, Australia). Results. Significant differences were found in the blood pressure values of the whole population in the central versus brachial systolic blood pressure (SP) [140(21) versus 153(23) mmHg] and in the central versus brachial pulse pressure (PP) [55(18) versus 70(18) mmHg]. Additionally, females exhibited higher blood pressure levels than males [central SP 144(23) versus 134(16) mmHg and brachial SP 161(26) versus 148(18) mmHg and central PP 62(17) versus 45(14) mmHg and brachial PP 80(21) versus 63(15) mmHg, resp.]. Conclusion. Elderly women exhibited higher blood pressure values than elderly hypertensive men.

Raynaud's Phenomenon in a Slap Bass Player: A Case Report

OBJECTIVE: Secondary Raynaud’s phenomenon is a frequent condition related to occupational exposure to local vibration but has not been described in musicians. This study aims to describe cold-induced blanching of the right second and (in particular) third digits in a 67-year-old double bass player following decades of cumulative repetitive blunt trauma to the fingers from slapping the strings. METHODS: A physical examination was undertaken and systolic blood pressure measured before and after cold provocation. RESULTS: At 10ÅãC the brachial systolic blood pressure was 156 mm Hg while blood pressure was immeasurable at the finger level, corresponding to a finger/brachial index of 0% of the second and third fingers. CONCLUSION: This is the first reported case of objectively verified, playing-related Raynaud’s phenomenon in a musician.