Relationship between blood pressure and arterial stiffness in patients undergoing antihypertensive treatment: A pilot study

Abstract

Mean arterial blood pressure is one of the principal modifiable factors which contribute to arterial stiffness. The influence of anti hypertensive drugs on arterial stiffness measured photoplethysmographically has not yet been studied. This pilot study was aimed at exploring the relationship between blood pressure (BP) and parameters of arterial stiffness on initiating antihypertensive treatment. Fourteen newly diagnosed hypertensive male or female patients aged 30 to 40 years participated in the study. The age, height, weight and body mass index was calculated for all patients. BP and arterial stiffness were measured once before treatment and weakly after initiation of treatment for 3 weeks. On comparing the pretreatment and post treatment weakly BP values, a highly significant decline in the systolic BP (p< 0.006) and mean BP (0.005) was observed, whereas diastolic BP showed a significant (0.016) decline. Post hoc analysis revealed that systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) showed a significant decline (p = 0.011 and 0.027, respectively) at the second visit, which was around two weeks post treatment, while the mean BP showed a highly significant decrease (p = 0.009) at this time. However, pulse pressure and heart rate did not change significantly with treatment. Also, the parameters of arterial stiffness did not change significantly with treatment for the same duration. Thus, we concluded that reduction in BP in hypertensive patients as measured clinically by brachial cuff sphygmanometry seems to be dependent on the encounter interval. The decrease in blood pressure occured within three weeks, whereas changes in arterial stiffness do not occur even till three weeks of initiating the treatment. Key words: Antihypertensive treatment, photoplethysmographic arterial stiffness, encounter interval.