RESUMEN
Objective To explore the changes of elasticity in the large arteries and its clinical significance of sublingual administration of nitroglycerin in patients with elevated PWV,and mild and moderate essential hypertension.Methods Totally,779 patients with mild and moderate hypertension and PWV more than 1400 cm/s were selected and divided into four groups,one with simple hypertension,the second one with only one risk factor for it,the third one with two risk factors,and the fourth one with three risk factors or damage in their target organs.Sublingual administration of 0.5 mg nitroglycerin was administered and blood pressure and PWV were measured for all of them.and data were statistically compared and analyzed by groups and before and after nitroglycerin administration.Results Systolic blood pressure decreased to(135±20)mm Hg from(149±15)mm Hg,pulse pressure decreased to(50±11)mm Hg from(59±12)mm Hg,PwV decreased to(1329±288)cm/s from(1688±378)cm/s,respectively,after nitroglycerin treatment for hypertensive patients(t=3.036,2.473,3.885,all P＜0.05).Improvement of elasticity of the large arteries in them after nitroglycerin treatment inversely correlated with the number of risk factors for hypertension they had,with 89.1 percent,74.3 percent,72.6percent and 44.0 percent of improvement in PWV,respectively for those with simple hypertension,only one risk factor.two risk factors and three risk factors or with damage in target organs.Conclusions Systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure significantly correlated with elasticity of the large arteries in hypertensive patients,and their stifiness improved after sublingual administration of nitroglycerin due to decrease in systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure.The more risk factors the hypertensive patients had,the poorer elasticity of their large arteries and less sensitive to nitroglycerin treatment were.