Associations between measurements of central blood pressure and target organ damage in high-risk patients.

Background: It is not well-known which components of central blood pressure (CBP) are more influential to target organ damage (TOD). This study aimed to determine the relationship between CBP measurements and various types of TOD in high-risk patients.

Methods: A total of 148 patients who had documented atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease or its multiple risk factors were prospectively enrolled. CBP was measured by using applanation tonometry of the radial artery. The following nine TOD parameters were evaluated: left ventricular mass index, relative wall thickness, septal e' velocity, septal E/e', brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity, ankle-brachial index, estimated glomerular filtration rate, urine protein and obstructive coronary artery disease.

Results: The mean age of the study population was 67.1 ± 9.0 years and 108 (73 %) were male. Among four CBP measurements (systolic, diastolic, mean, and pulse pressures), central pulse pressure (CPP) was associated with the largest number of TOD parameters. As CPP increased, the number of TOD increased (P = 0.010), but this association was not observed in other CBP measurements (P > 0.05 for each).

Conclusions: CPP had a stronger correlation with TOD than other CBP measurements. Non-invasive CPP could be a useful indicator for predicting TOD in patients at high coronary risk.