Carotid Intima and Media Thickness Correlation with Central Blood Pressure Measurements by Tonometric and Oscillometric Methods: A Proof of Concept

Abstract Background The early detection of vascular damage in subclinical stages of hypertensive disease may be the key point in the prevention of cardiovascular outcomes. Objectives to correlate parameters of structural vascular damage (measurement of the carotid intima-media thickness) with parameters of functional vascular damage (central hemodynamic measurements) in pre-hypertensive and hypertensive patients taking up to two classes of anti-hypertensive drugs. Methods This was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted with a convenience sample of patients attending the Liga de Hipertensão Arterial , a multidisciplinary program for the diagnosis and treatment of systemic hypertension, of the Federal university of Goias. Patients with arrythmia, diabetes, previous cardiovascular or cerebrovascular diseases, and end-stage diseases were excluded. Carotid Doppler test, measurements of peripheral and central blood pressure by applanation tonometry (Sphygmocor®) and oscillometry (Mobil-O-Graph®) were performed. The t-test was used for comparisons and the Pearson correlation test for correlations, considering a p<0.05 statistically significant. Results twenty patients (12 women) were evaluated, mean age 53.8 ± 14.3 years. Higher values of central pulse pressure (42.9±13.9 vs. 34.7±9.6, p=0.01) and pulse wave velocity (PWV) (9.0±1.9 vs. 7.9±1.5, p=0.01) were obtained by applanation tonometry compared with oscillometry. No difference between the methods was observed for the other measures. A significant correlation was found between carotid artery intima-media thickness (CA-IMT) and PWV (r=0.659; p=0.002) by the oscillometric test, but not with applanation tonometry. No correlation was found between central hemodynamic variables and the presence of carotid artery plaques. Conclusion PWV, estimated by oscillometry, was the only central hemodynamic parameter that correlated significantly with CA-IMT in pre-hypertensive and hypertensive patients at low cardiovascular risk. International Journal of Cardiovascular Sciences. 2020; [online].ahead print, PP.0-0

Factores de riesgos aterogénico y su relación con la lesión carotidea identificada por eco-doppler / Atherogenic risk factors and its relation with carotid lesion identified by eco-doppler

Objetivo: Identificar la asociación entre los factores de riesgo aterogénico y la presencia de la lesión aterosclerótica carotidea. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo, de corte transversal en 112 pacientes de ambos sexos, mayores de 40 años. Las variables fueron: edad, sexo, tensión arterial, hábito de fumar, diabetes mellitus, obesidad y soplo carotideo. Se realizó un eco-doppler carotideo para identificar la presencia de la lesión. Se aplicó una encuesta a los pacientes y las respuestas se recogieron en un una base de datos para su procesamiento estadístico. Resultados: Hubo predominio del sexo femenino. La edad media de presentación de la lesión fue 72,4 años. El 83 por ciento del total de pacientes presentaba tres y más factores de riesgo; en los portadores de lesión carotidea fueron: hipertensión arterial (65,5 por ciento), tabaquismo (71,1 por ciento), diabetes mellitus (64,3 por ciento) y con más de tres el 52,7 por ciento. El 51,8 por ciento de los pacientes presentaban lesión carotidea y de ellos el 24,1 por ciento con una estenosis carotidea inferior a 50 por ciento y superior a esta cifra el 4,5 por ciento, con mayor frecuencia en mujeres que en hombres (6,7 por ciento vs. 1,9 por ciento). El 18,8 por ciento mostraba un grosor intima medio carotideo mayor o igual a 1 mm, superior en los hombres que en las mujeres (21,2 por ciento vs. 16,7 por ciento). Conclusiones: La asociación de varios factores de riesgo con la presencia de una lesión carotidea demuestra la importancia de detectar el riesgo de desarrollar una enfermedad cerebrovascular en la población(AU)

Objective: To identify the association between the atherogenic risk factors and the presence of the carotid atherosclerotic lesion. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in 112 patients of both sexes and older than 40 years old. The variables were: age, sex, blood pressure, smoking habit, diabetes mellitus, obesity and carotid murmur. A carotid echo-doppler was performed to identify the presence of the lesion. A survey was done to the patients and the responses were collected in a database for statistical processing. Results: There was prevalence of female sex. The average age of appearance of the lesion was 72.4 years old. 83 percent of the total number of patients presented three and more risk factors. In the carriers of carotid lesion were: arterial hypertension (65.5 percent), smoking habit (71.1 percent), diabetes mellitus (64.3 percent) and with more than three risk factors: 52.7 percent. 51.8 percent of the patients had carotid injury and 24.1 percent of them had a inferior carotid stenosis to 50 percent, and 4.5 percent was higher than this figure, more often in females than in males (6.7 percent vs. 1.9 percent). 18.8 percent showed an carotid intima - media thickness bigger than or equal to 1 mm, higher in males than in women (21.2 percent vs. 16.7 percent). Conclusions: The association of several risk factors with the presence of carotid lesion demonstrates the importance of detecting the risk of developing a cerebrovascular disease in the population(AU)

Daño arterial subclínico en niños, adolescentes y jóvenes: Análisis de la asociación con factores de riesgo, con la aterosclerosis del adulto y de su reversibilidad mediante intervención temprana / Subclinical artery damage in children, adolescents and youth: Analysis of the association with risk factors of adult atherosclerosis and reversibility through early intervention

Las estrategias preventivas, de detección precoz y el tratamiento de las alteraciones cardiovasculares continúan centrados en los adultos. Esto ocurre a pesar de evidencias que indican que la aterosclerosis comienza en la niñez, que la presencia de factores de riesgo cardiovascular y el tiempo de exposición a ellos en niños se asocian con cambios arteriales precoces y con el riesgo y morbimortalidad cardiovascular en la vida adulta, y que intervenciones que reduzcan la exposición a factores de riesgo en niños asocian reducción en morbimortalidad cardiovascular. Buscando revisar la bibliografía existente que sustenta realizar acciones preventivas, de valoración del riesgo cardiovascular y de daño arterial en subpoblaciones de niños, el objetivo del presente artículo es analizar evidencias acerca de: (a) la génesis y progresión de la aterosclerosis en niños y su relación con la del adulto; (b) la asociación entre factores de riesgo en la niñez y alteraciones arteriales y riesgo del adulto, y (c) los efectos que la intervención sobre los factores de riesgo tiene en el sistema arterial del niño.

Strategies for prevention, early detection and treatment of cardiovascular diseases are focused in adults. This is so despite it is known that: a) atherosclerosis starts in childhood; b) exposure to cardiovascular risk factors associates early vascular changes in children and increased cardiovascular risk when they become adults; c) cardiovascular risk factors’ control in childhood associates an improvement in cardiovascular morbi-mortality. In this context, in this work we review available evidence aiming at analyzing: a) cardiovascular risk factors exposure and development of vascular alterations in childhood and their relationship with adults’ atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk; b) the vascular effects/impact of interventions designed to control cardiovascular risk factors in childhood.