Abstract

Recent studies have demonstrated that the phenomenon of “Masked Hypertension” have a poor cardiovascular prognosis. We examined whether masked hypertensive patients have the impaired arterial properties.

We consecutively enrolled 156 outpatients (mean age: 69.5 years) without antihypertensive medication, and classified them into 4 subgroups (Normotension; NT, White Coat Hypertension; WCHT, Masked Hypertension; MHT, Sustained Hypertension; SHT) by using home (135/85 mmHg) and office (140/90 mmHg) blood pressure (BP) values. These 4 subgroups were compared with arterial wall stiffness assessed by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and atherosclerosis assessed by carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT).

Patients with MHT (72.5 years) and SHT (71.0 years) were older than other groups, but comparable with other parameters. BaPWV was higher in the MHT (1978.1 cm/sec) and in the SHT (2167.1 cm/sec) than in the other groups. CIMT was higher in the MHT (0.88 mm) than in the NT (0.72 mm) and the WCHT (0.77 mm).

In conclusion, this study suggests that the functional and structural changes in the arteries progress in masked hypertensive patients detected by home BP.

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