P41 INCREASED STIFFNESS IN THE DIGITAL ARTERIES OF ESSENTIAL HYPERTENSIVE WOMEN: THE FUCHSIA STUDY

DOI

10.1016/j.artres.2018.10.094How to use a DOI?

Abstract

Rationale and Aim: Essential hypertension is characterized by extensive alterations of arterial geometry and mechanical properties: increased stiffness, dilation and wall of large arteries, increased thickness in muscular arteries, small artery remodeling. This study is aimed at exploring function and structure of the digital arteries of the hand, muscular arteries with an internal diameter of 500-1000 mm, easily accessible by ultrahigh frequency ultrasound.

Methods: 24 hypertensive women (HT) and 37 healthy controls (C) were recruited. 5’-videoclips of left palmar digital arteries were obtained by VevoMD (FUJIFILM, VisualSonics, Toronto, Canada), by means of a 70 MHz probe (axial-lateral resolution 30-65 μm). An automatic system (Cvsuite, Quipu srl; Pisa, Italy) was used to measure intima-media thickness (IMT) and diameter. Distensibility and stiffness were then calculated using left brachial pulse pressure (PP - oscillometric)

Results: HT and C had similar age (57 ± 11 vs 53 ± 11 years, p = 0.22), BMI (24.9 ± 4.6 vs 24.5 ± 4.2 vs kg/m², p = 0.80) and mean blood pressure (BP, 95 ± 12 vs 91 ± 12 mmHg, p = 0.24); HT showed slighlty higher PP (54 ± 14 vs 47 ± 10, p = 0.07). Palmar digital lumen tended to be higher in HT (804 ± 201 vs 696 ± 191 μm, p = 0.10), while IMT was similar (120 ± 23 vs 125 ± 36 μm, p = 0.81). Distensibility was reduced (21.4 ± 18.2 vs 29.0 ± 18.8 kPa ⁻¹, p < 0.05), while stiffness was increased (7.95 ± 2.22 vs 6.72 ± 2.11 m/s, p < 0.005).

Conclusions: This is the first report of the presence of altered mechanical properties (i.e. increased stiffness) in muscular arteries with lumen <1000 mm of essential hypertensive women. These findings suggest that increased hemodynamic load characterizing hypertension lead to a different vascular phenotype in each arterial segment.

Open Access

This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license.

TY  - JOUR
AU  - Rosa Maria Bruno
AU  - Nicole Di Lascio
AU  - Saverio Vitali
AU  - Piercarlo Rossi
AU  - Rachele Gherardini
AU  - Stefano Taddei
AU  - Francesco Faita
AU  - Davide Caramella
AU  - Lorenzo Ghiadoni
PY  - 2018
DA  - 2018/12/04
TI  - P41 INCREASED STIFFNESS IN THE DIGITAL ARTERIES OF ESSENTIAL HYPERTENSIVE WOMEN: THE FUCHSIA STUDY
JO  - Artery Research
SP  - 90
EP  - 90
VL  - 24
IS  - C
SN  - 1876-4401
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.artres.2018.10.094
DO  - 10.1016/j.artres.2018.10.094
ID  - Bruno2018
ER  -