Central blood pressure and vascular damage

Abstract Background and objective The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between central blood pressure and vascular damage. Patients and methods This cross-sectional study involved 393 never treated hypertensive patients (166 women). Clinical blood pressure (BP), 24 h blood pressure (BP 24 h ) and central blood pressure (CBP) were measured. Vascular organ damage (VOD) was assessed by calculating the albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR), wave pulse pressure velocity and echocardiographic left ventricular mass index (LVMI). Results Patients with VOD had higher values of BP, BP 24 h , and CBP than patients without ACR. When comparing several systolic BP, systolic BP 24 h had a higher linear correlation with CBP (Z Steiger test: 2.26; P  = .02) and LVMI (Z Steiger test: 3.23; P  = .01) than PAC. In a multiple regression analysis corrected by age, sex and metabolic syndrome, all pressures were related with VOD but systolic BP 24 h showed the highest correlation. In a logistic regression analysis, having the highest tercile of systolic BP 24 h was the stronger predictor of VOD (multivariate odds ratio: 3.4; CI 95%: 2.5–5.5, P  = .001). Conclusions CBP does not have more correlation with VOD than other measurements of peripheral BP. Systolic BP 24 h is the BP measurement that best predicts VOD.