High arterial rigidity is a significant but not obligatory factor of arterial hypertension in persons over 60 years of age

Aim. To ascertain whether high arterial rigidity is obligatory in arterial hypertension (AH) and the presence of AH is obligatory in patients with rigid arteries. Material and methods. Volume sphygmography (VS) was made in 153 patients aged 60-86 years: 96 patients with untreated AH of degree 1-3 (40 males aged 71.0±7.6 years) and 57 normotensive subjects without cardiovascular symptoms (31 males aged 66.6±6.2 years). VS measured ankle-shoulder velocity of the pulse wave (PWVas) and cardiac-ankle vascular index (CAVI). PWVas > M+STD and CAVI > M+2STD (STD is deviation from mean value) were considered above normal for the age. Results. Hypertensive patients had significantly higher arterial rigidity than normotensives (PWVas 17.8±3.0 and 15.6 ± 2.3 m/s, respectively, p = 0.00001); CAVI - 9.7±2.1 and 8.6±1.1, respectively, p = 0.0003). Arterial rigidity in hypertensive patients occurred significantly more frequently than in normotensive subjects: by PWVas in 46 and 25% cases (p = 0.01), by CAVI - in 41 and 5% cases (p < 0.0001), respectively. It is essential that arterial rigidity was not increased in 54% hypertensive patients by PWVas and in 75% by CAVI. Conclusion. PWVas and CAVI were higher in elderly hypertensives than in elderly normotensives but elevated arterial rigidity was not obligatory in hypertensives while 25% elderly normotensives had it. Thus, elevated arterial rigidity is an essential but not obligatory mechanism of AH development in the elderly.