Evidence of Early Changes of the Brachial Artery Circulation in Borderline Hypertension

Abstract

Quantitative evaluation of brachial artery diameter and blood flow (pulsed Doppler velocimetry) was carried out in nine normal subjects and 24 borderline hypertensive patients of the same age. The analysis of patients according to their value of cardiac index compared with the normal mean value plus 2 SD (standard deviation) enabled us to subdivide the patients into those with normal cardiac output and those with high cardiac output of similar age and pressure. Brachial artery diameter and flow were not different in patients with normal output and in normal controls, but were higher in patients with high output than in normal controls (p less than 0.05; p less than 0.01) and lower in patients with normal output than those with high output (p less than 0.01). These results demonstrate a nonhomogeneous pattern of the brachial artery of patients with borderline hypertension. Patients with normal cardiac output exhibited a trend to vasoconstriction, while patients with high cardiac output had a strong dilatation of the brachial artery.