The 68th Annual Conference of the Israel Heart Society in association with the Israel Society of Cardiothoracic Surgery

Familial Tendency for Hypertension is Associated with Increased Vascular Stiffness

Yehuda Wexler 1 Ishay Avivi 2 Sapir Barak Lanciano 2 Ella Haber Kaptsenel 2 Hana Bishara 2 Hagar Palacci 2 Chen Chaiat 2 Udi Nussinovitch 2,3
1Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Research Institute, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Israel
2Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel
3Applicative Cardiovascular Research Center (ACRC) and Department of Cardiology, Meir Medical Center, Israel

Introduction

Hypertension is the leading cause of cardiovascular disease and premature death. New methods for early detection of hypertension and its consequences can reduce complications arising from uncontrolled hypertension. Pulse-wave velocity (PWV), a measure of arterial stiffness, has been recognized as a valuable tool in assessing risk for cardiovascular complications, although its use in clinical practice is currently limited. Here we examine whether brachial-ankle PWV (baPWV) and femoral-ankle PWV (faPWV) are elevated in non-hypertensive volunteers, with and without a history of familial hypertension (FH).

Materials and Methods

Volunteers were recruited and questioned as to their medical background and family history. Participants were divided into two groups based on history of FH and were measured for baPWV and faPWV. Carotid-femoral PWV was computed from these measurements.

Results and discussion

A total of 82 healthy non-hypertensive volunteers (mean age 31.4 ± 9.6) were recruited. Among the study cohort, 43.7% had a history of FH. There were no between-group differences in any other clinical or demographic characteristics. Both baPWV and faPWV were significantly elevated in volunteers with a history of FH (10.86 ± 1.69 vs. 9.68 ± 1.52 m/s, p<0.004, and 7.01 ± 1.65 vs. 6.28 ± 1.26 m/s, p<0.028, respectively, Figure 1).

Figure 1

Pulse wave velocity (PWV) parameters were computed for volunteers with and without a family history of hypertension. Boxplot comparing baPWV (A), and faPWV (B) measurements between patients with a family history of hypertension and controls. *p<0.05, **p<0.01.

baPWV – brachial-ankle PWV, faPWV – femoral-ankle PWV

Conclusion

Volunteers with a history of FH present with elevated baPWV and faPWV. This is suggestive of increased central and peripheral arterial stiffness in susceptible individuals before the onset of hypertension. Routine measurement of these parameters may allow for early intervention and risk stratification, especially in persons with a history of FH.









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