Hypertension-Mediated Organ Damage In Young Patients With First-Diagnosed And Never Treated Systolic Hypertension.

OBJECTIVE: Early onset of untreated arterial hypertension is associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular (CV) diseases. The evaluation of hypertension-mediated organ damage (HMOD) helps estimating CV risk. We investigated the incidence of HMOD in young first, diagnosed and nevertreated patients with systolic arterial hypertension (SH) to identify high CV-risk patients based on the presence of HMOD. METHODS: CV risk factors [smoking, obesity (body mass index, BMI)], hyperlipidemia and 5 HMODs [arterial stiffness (pulse wave velocity, PWV), left ventricular diastolic dysfunction [(DD (E/Ea)], cardiac hypertrophy (left ventricular mass index, LVMI), coronary artery microcirculation (CFR), and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT)] were evaluated before treatment initiation in 220 patients, aged ≤50 years [median (interquartile range, IQR) age=43(38-47)], with SH diagnosed by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (24-h ABPM). RESULTS: Smoking (40%) and obesity [median (IQR) BMI=30(26-32) kg/m2](40%) were found in young hypertensives. HMOD was found in 50% of hypertensives (10% had ≥2 HMOD). The most prevalent HMODs were increased by cIMT (32%) and PWV (19%), LVH (9%), impaired CFR (6%) and DD (1%). Only PWV (beta=0.27, p<0.001) and LVMI (beta=0.41, p<0.001) were associated with systolic BP burden. In a subgroup analysis, patients with ≥2 HMOD were older with increased office BP and 24- h ABPM, impaired lipid profile, and increased LVMI, PWV, CFR, and cIMT compared with the rest of the hypertensives. CONCLUSION: The presence of ≥2 of the studied HMOD (PWV, LVMI, cIMT, E/Ea, CFR) in young hypertensives characterizes a "high-risk population". Arterial stiffness represents the predominant HMOD and in the whole population and "high-risk population".

Is there any true distinction in extreme dipping versus nondipping or dipping phenotype regarding hypertension-mediated organ damage in newly diagnosed and never-treated hypertensive patients?

Dipping phenomena is defined as nocturnal BP fall >10% during 24-h ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring (ABPM) which carries a favorable cardiovascular risk (CVR) prognosis due to reduced 24-h hypertension burden. To date, extreme dipping phenotype (defined as BP decrease ≥20%) has led to controversial prognostic results regarding CVR. We aimed to explore hypertension-mediated organ damage (HMOD) in extreme dippers compared to the other dipping phenotypes (nondipping, dipping). From 490 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed never-treated arterial hypertension (mean age 51 ± 11 years, 294 males) subjected to 24-h ABPM, we studied 52 extreme dippers, 52 age- and gender-matched nondippers, and 52 age- and gender-matched dippers. All patients were subjected to arterial stiffness (PWV), 24-h microalbumin levels, carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), diastolic dysfunction (E/Ea), and left ventricular mass index (LVMI) evaluation. ANOVA analysis found no differences regarding HMOD between groups. Multiple regression analysis revealed the following independent direct relationships between: (i) office SBP and PWV in nondippers (ß = 0.35, p = 0.01) and extreme dippers (ß = 0.49, p < 0.001), (ii) office SBP and E/Ea in extreme dippers (ß = 0.39, p = 0.007), (iii) 24-h diurnal and nocturnal SBP and E/Ea in dippers (ß = 0.40, p = 0.004, ß = 0.39, p = 0.005, and ß = 0.40, p = 0.004, respectively), and (iv) 24-h and nocturnal SBP and LVMI in nondippers (ß = 0.29, p = 0.04 and ß = 0.36, p = 0.009, respectively). In the early phases of untreated-arterial hypertension disease, extreme dipping phenotype in middle-aged hypertensives does not imply an adverse or favorable prognosis regarding the incidence of HMOD either as continuous variables or as abnormal HMOD compared to other dipping phenotypes.

Effects of electronic cigarette on platelet and vascular function after four months of use.

We examined the effects of electronic cigarette on platelet and vascular function after 4 months of use compared to tobacco smoking. Forty smokers without cardiovascular disease were randomized to smoke either conventional cigarettes or an electronic cigarette (nicotine concentration of 12 mg/ml). At baseline and after four months, we measured a) platelet function by Platelet Function Analyzer PFA-100 and Light Transmission Aggregometry, b) pulse wave velocity, c) plasma malondialdehyde levels as oxidative stress index and d) the exhaled CO level. After 4 months, continuation of conventional cigarette smoking further impaired platelet function compared to vaping as assessed by PFA (mean increase 27.1 vs 11.6 s, p for interaction = 0.048) and by LTA (decline 24.1 vs 9.4%, p for interaction = 0.045). Conversely, compared to smoking, vaping resulted in greater reduction of exhaled CO (6.9 ppm vs 2.6, p for interaction < 0.001), improvement of PWV (decrease of 0.8 m/s vs increase of 0.8 m/s, p for interaction = 0.020) and reduction of MDA (reduction 0.13 vs increase 0.19 nmol/L, p for interaction = 0.035). Switching to electronic cigarette for 4 months has a neutral effect on platelet function while it reduces arterial stiffness and oxidative stress compared to tobacco smoking.