Central systolic blood pressure as a risk for the accelerated progression of arterial stiffness

Abstract

Abstract In the arterial tree, the systolic blood pressure (SBP) exhibits a pressure gradient from central to peripheral and is higher in the periphery because of pressure wave reflection. However, this gradient is attenuated with the elevation of central SBP (cSBP) in case with abnormal pressure wave reflection in arterial tree. It remains unclear whether increase of the cSBP might be an independent risk for the accelerated progression of arterial stiffness. Using the latent growth curve model (LGCM) analysis, this prospective observational study was conducted to examine whether elevation of the cSBP might be an independent risk for the accelerated progression of arterial stiffness in middle-aged Japanese men.In this 9-year prospective observational study, 3862 middle-aged Japanese men (42 ± 9 years old) without cerebrocardiovascular disease at the study baseline underwent annual measurements of the brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), and cSBP, estimated by radial pressure wave analysis as the second peak of radial pressure wave form (SBP2). During the follow-up period (6.4 ± 2.5), significant increases of baPWV and SBP2 were observed in all subjects. Analysis using the LGCM confirmed that the SBP2, a maker of cSBP (B=0.260, P < 0.001) was significant determinants of the slope of annual changes of baPWV during the study period. Our finding suggests that elevated cSBP is an independent risk for the accelerated progression of arterial stiffness in middle-aged Japanese men.