Early adverse effect of abnormal glucose metabolism on arterial stiffness in drug naive hypertensive patients.

Arterial stiffness is independently related to increased cardiovascular risk in the hypertensive population. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether various stages of abnormal glucose metabolism may differently affect arterial stiffness in hypertensive patients and whether there is any difference in arterial stiffness among patients with normal glucose regulation. We studied 1375 never-treated hypertensive subjects. Participants were divided into four metabolic groups: normal glucose regulation (NG), impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance and type-2 diabetes mellitus (DM 2). Hypertensive subjects with NG were subdivided into three groups according to glucose levels. Arterial stiffness was estimated by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV). PWV showed a significant increase from patients with NG to DM 2 (from 7.74±1.38 to 8.40±1.30 to 8.86±1.30 to 10.09±2.07 m/s respectively, p<0.001). Among hypertensive subjects with NG there was an increase in PWV from low normal to high...