CLINICAL RESEARCH: HYPERTENSION
Central But Not Brachial Blood Pressure Predicts Cardiovascular Events in an Unselected Geriatric PopulationThe ICARe Dicomano Study
Riccardo Pini, MD, FACC*,*,
M. Chiara Cavallini, MD*,
Vittorio Palmieri, MD, PhD ,
Niccolò Marchionni, MD*,
Mauro Di Bari, MD, PhD*,
Richard B. Devereux, MD, FACC ,
Giulio Masotti, MD* and
Mary J. Roman, MD, FACC
* Department of Critical Care Medicine and Surgery—Unit of Geriatric Cardiology, University of Firenze and Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, Florence, Italy
Department of Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York.
Manuscript received November 23, 2007;
revised manuscript received March 5, 2008,
accepted March 11, 2008.
* Reprint requests and correspondence: Dr. Riccardo Pini, Unit of Geriatric Cardiology, Via delle Oblate, 4, 50141 Florence, Italy. (Email: rpini{at}unifi.it).
Objectives: The present study investigated whether central blood pressure (BP) predicts cardiovascular (CV) events better than brachial BP in a cohort of normotensive and untreated hypertensive elderly individuals.
Background: Limited and conflicting data have been reported on the prognostic relevance of central BP compared with brachial BP.
Methods: Community-dwelling individuals 65 years of age, living in Dicomano, Italy, underwent an extensive clinical assessment in 1995 including echocardiography and carotid ultrasonography and applanation tonometry. In 2003, vital status and CV events were assessed, reviewing the electronic database of the Regional Ministry of Health. Only normotensive (n = 173) and untreated hypertensive subjects (95 diastolic and 130 isolated systolic) were included in the present analysis.
Results: During 8 years, 106 deaths, 45 of which were cardiovascular, and 122 CV events occurred. In univariate analyses, both central and brachial systolic blood pressure (SBP) and pulse pressure (PP) predicted CV events (all p < 0.005); however, in multivariate analyses, adjusting for age and gender, higher carotid SBP and PP (hazard ratios 1.19/10 and 1.23/10 mm Hg, respectively; both p < 0.0001) but neither brachial SBP nor PP independently predicted CV events. Similarly, higher carotid SBP but not brachial pressures independently predicted CV mortality (hazard ratio 1.37/10 mm Hg; p < 0.0001).
Conclusions: Our prospective study in an unselected geriatric population demonstrates superior prognostic utility of central compared with brachial BP.
|
Abbreviations and Acronyms
| | AI = augmentation index | | BP = blood pressure | | CI = confidence interval | | CV = cardiovascular | | DBP = diastolic blood pressure | | FS = fractional shortening | | HR = hazard ratio | | IMT = intimal-medial thickness | | ISH = isolated systolic hypertension | | LV = left ventricle/ventricular | | MBP = mean blood pressure | | PP = pulse pressure | | SBP = systolic blood pressure | | WCSA = wall cross-sectional area |
|
Related Articles
-
Carotid Versus Brachial Pulse Pressure in Elderly Persons
- Michel E. Safar and Jacques Blacher
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 2008 51: 2440-2441.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
-
Inside This Issue of JACC
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 2008 51: A31-A32.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
This article has been cited by other articles:

|
 |

|
 |
 
J. R. Cockcroft
Atenolol is dead: long live Beta-blockade.
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol.,
June 2, 2009;
53(22):
2102 - 2102.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
M. Namasivayam, B. J. McDonnell, C. M. McEniery, M. F. O'Rourke, and on behalf of the Anglo-Cardiff Collaborative Trial
Does Wave Reflection Dominate Age-Related Change in Aortic Blood Pressure Across the Human Life Span?
Hypertension,
June 1, 2009;
53(6):
979 - 985.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
S. G. Denniss and J. W. E. Rush
Impaired hemodynamics and endothelial vasomotor function via endoperoxide-mediated vasoconstriction in the carotid artery of spontaneously hypertensive rats
Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol,
April 1, 2009;
296(4):
H1038 - H1047.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
M. E. Safar and J. Blacher
Carotid versus brachial pulse pressure in elderly persons.
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol.,
June 24, 2008;
51(25):
2440 - 2441.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|
|