Influence of risk factors for the development of cardiovascular diseases on the parameters of arterial stiffness in patients with arterial hypertension and atherosclerosis of different degrees of severity

BACKGROUND: Arterial hypertension is widespread in the population, leads to the development of arteriosclerosis and increase of arterial stiffness, and is the main non-lipid risk factor of atherosclerosis development. Multiple studies have shown that increase of arterial stiffness is an independent risk factor for the development of cardiovascular events. However, the influence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors on arterial stiffness in arterial hypertension and atherosclerotic process of different degrees of severity has not been sufficiently studied.

AIM: To assess the influence of traditional risk factors on the parameters of arterial stiffness in patients with arterial hypertension (AH) and atherosclerotic process of varying degrees of severity.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: 133 subjects with AH have been divided into 3 groups depending on the severity of the atherosclerotic process. The control group included 33 individuals without known cardiovascular diseases. All the participants have undergone a standard clinical and laboratory examination, 24hr blood pressure monitoring with assessment of arterial stiffness (AS) parameters. The influence of risk factors on AS parameters has been analyzed for all the participants and separately by groups.

RESULTS: In the AH patients, an increase in the arterial stiffness index (ASI) is associated with an older age and an increase in systolic blood pressure (SBP); an increase in the augmentation index (AIx₇₅) is associated with age; SBP in higher in women. Pulse wave velocity in the aorta (PWVao) is most associated with age, smoking, and family history in patients with hypertension and subclinical atherosclerosis. An increase in AIx₇₅ is associated with an older age and is higher in women, while ASI has a positive relationship with age and SBP. In patients with hypertension and coronary artery disease, there is a positive correlation between male body mass index and PWVao. The increase in ASI in this group is associated with female gender, SBP and age. In individuals without hypertension and signs of atherosclerosis with a family history of CVD, PWVao values are higher than in similar individuals without a family history of CVD.

CONCLUSIONS: In the group of all the participants, female gender, smoking, an older age, SBP, and body mass index are associated with increased AS parameters. The association between risk factors and parameters of arterial stiffness has peculiarities in patients with hypertension with varying degrees of severity of the atherosclerotic process.