Cross-Sectional and 4-Year Longitudinal Associations Between Brachial Pulse Pressure and Common Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in a General Population: The EVA Study

Background and Purpose—The cross-sectional and 4-year longitudinal associations between brachial pulse pressure (PP) and ultrasound measurements of common carotid intima-media thickness (CCA-IMT) were assessed. Methods—A population of 957 volunteers aged 59 to 71 years was recruited from the electoral rolls of the city of Nantes (western France) and reexamined 4 years later. Longitudinal changes in PP and CCA-IMT were computed as the difference between 4-year follow-up and baseline values. Results—Baseline CCA-IMT and PP were positively associated in both age- and sex-adjusted analysis (partial correlation coefficient=0.20, P<0.001) and in multivariate analysis adjusted for traditional cardiovascular risk factors and mean blood pressure (partial correlation coefficient=0.18, P<0.001). In longitudinal analysis, baseline PP was associated with the change in 4-year CCA-IMT (partial correlation coefficient=0.11, P<0.001), and baseline CCA-IMT was a predictor of the 4-year change in PP (partial correlation coe...