Aim: To study structural-functional properties of the walls of large and middle-size arteries and changes of these properties in the course of hypotensive therapy in hypertensive patients.
Material and methods: Of 609 participants of the trial (233 males and 376 females), 377 patients with essential hypertension stage I-II (mean age 46.9 +/- 7.2 years) entered the study group, 232 healthy subjects (mean age 45.7 +/- 6.9 years)--the control group. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) for vessels of elastic and muscular type was measured in all the examinees. Circadian blood pressure monitoring, echocardiography, duplex scanning of the common carotid artery were performed in hypertensive patients. 76 hypertensive patients were reexamined 6 months after treatment with amlodipin (n = 32) or fixed combination perindopril+indapamide (n = 44).
Results: Mean PWV appeared to be higher in hypertensive patients in whom PWV correlated with left ventricular (LV) remodeling and thickness of intima-media complex (IMC). After 6 months of hypotensive therapy PWV significantly lowered for both types of vessels studied. IMC thickness reduced by 10.1%, on the average, LV myocardial mass index--by 6.3%.
Conclusion: The link between PWV, LV hypertrophy and IMC allows PWV use as a method of detection of cardiovascular remodeling in hypertension and for follow-up of antihypertensive treatment effect on this remodeling in outpatient treatment of hypertension.