News - Hypertension Week of Feb. 1, 2004/ Vol. 3 No. 05

Study: High Pulse Pressure Can Lead to Carotid Artery Thickening

Patients with high pulse pressure are more likely to have thickening of the carotid artery, according to a study reported in the January 29 on-line edition of the Journal of Human Hypertension.

The carotid arteries supply the brain with oxygen-rich blood. A blockage of this artery can cause a stroke. Previous studies have found that patients with hypertension frequently have thickening of the carotid arteries, but its association with pulse pressure has rarely been studied.

Researchers at Beaujon Hospital in France studied carotid artery thickness in 323 patients with hypertension. The patients were placed into groups based on their systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels and whether they had high or low pulse pressure.

The researchers found that an increase in intima media thickness of the carotid artery was the only factor significantly and independently associated with high pulse pressure, irrespective of blood pressure control.

Besides pulse pressure, intima media thickness of the carotid artery also was linked to various other factors such as age, waist-to-hip ratio, tobacco consumption and heart rate.

The researchers noted that even those whose systolic and diastolic blood pressure is under reasonable control may still have increased intima media thickness of the carotid artery.

Other sources: Journal of Human Hypertension