Vascular stiffness and endothelial dysfunction: Correlations at different levels of blood pressure

Abstract

We found a close relationship among high BP levels, endothelial dysfunction and vascular rigidity in hypertensive patients, demonstrated by a significantly higher increase in carotid-femoral PWV and a decrease in brachial artery FMD in RHTN when compared with well-controlled hypertensive patients. Although this study was not designed to test the prognostic, the vascular damage differences observed between patients with controlled vs uncontrolled hypertension suggest that the latter group may have a worse cardiovascular prognosis, requiring prospective assessment tests.