Association of carotid atherosclerosis and blood pressure variation / 中华心血管病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the relationship of carotid artery plaque and blood pressure variation and cardiovascular risk factors.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of in-patients treated in the department of hypertension between April 2009 and June 2010. Information on carotid ultrasonography and other clinical date were obtained from 408 patients. All patients were monitored by ambulatory blood pressure.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>(1) Carotid artery determined in plaque was 55.3%, there was no differences between men and women. However, the carotid artery plague was associated positively with age. Increased age was associated with a significantly increased positive rate. (2) Cardiovascular risk factors and carotid artery plaque: carotid artery plaque was associated with duration of disease, fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol, and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol. (3) 24 h ambulatory blood pressure and carotid artery plaque: the prevalence of carotid artery plaque increased with increasing coefficient of systolic variation (P = 0.001). There was no correlation between the coefficient of diastolic variation and the prevalence (P = 0.644).(4) Multivariate regression analysis indicated that carotid artery plaque was associated with duration of hypertension, 24 h mean systolic blood pressure, and coefficient of variation of 24 h blood pressure (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Carotid atherosclerosis is independently associated with coefficient of variation of blood pressure, especially with coefficient of variation of systolic blood pressure.</p>

Incidence of impaired glucose tolerance in hospitalized essential hypertension patients without diabetes mellitus history and with normal fasting glucose / 中华心血管病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the incidence of impaired glucose tolerance in hospitalized patients with essential hypertension without diabetes mellitus history and with normal fasting glucose.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 586 hospitalized patients with essential hypertension and without known diabetes mellitus (DM) and with normal fasting blood glucose (FBG < 5.6 mmol/L) were included in this epidemiologic cross-sectional survey and screening study and received oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Associations between postprandial blood sugar and age, gender, body mass index, blood pressure level, blood lipid level, carotid arterial sclerosis were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>(1) Among 586 patients, the number of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) was 159, the number of newly diagnosed DM was 41 and the prevalence rates of newly diagnosed DM and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) were 7.0% and 27.1% respectively. (2) Incidence of carotid arterial sclerosis was 67.5% in patients with impaired glucose tolerance and 59.6% in patients with normal glucose tolerance (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Our results showed that incidence of newly diagnosed disturbed glucometabolic status is common among patients with essential hypertension without DM history and normal FBG. OGTT should be used as a routine procedure in these patients for the purpose of early intervention in hypertensive patients with abnormal glucometabolic status.</p>