Local carotid arterial stiffness is an independent determinant of left ventricular remodeling in never-treated hypertensive patients.

PURPOSE: The aim was to investigate the association between blood pressure (BP), carotid stiffness, carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) and left ventricular (LV) remodeling in never-treated hypertensive patients.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: 178 never-treated hypertensive underwent transthoracic echocardiography, 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM), local carotid stiffness and regional cfPWV assessed using a high-definition echo-tracking ultrasound system and a tonometric transducer, respectively. LV parameters and arterial stiffness were also considered in dippers and non-dippers.

RESULTS: Mean night-time BP best correlated with carotid and LV parameters. Carotid stiffness parameters (β-index, pressure-strain elastic modulus, one-point PWV) correlated with LV mass, relative wall thickness, and E/A ratio while cfPWV correlated only with E/A ratio. In multiple regression analysis, age and mean night-time ABPM had a stroger relation with carotid stiffness than cfPWV. In a second multiple regression analysis, day and night ABPM and carotid stiffness were independently related with LV remodeling and left atrial volume. In non-dippers, local carotid stiffness parameters were significantly higher than in dippers, whereas cfPWV was not significantly different.

CONCLUSIONS: Carotid stiffness parameters are independently associated with LV remodeling and have an additive effect to BP and over cfPWV moreover local arterial stiffness is higher in non-dippers.