Central aortic pressure indices in young women with excessive body weight and arterial hypertension

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate changes in central aortic pressure and central hemodynamics, as well as tumor necrosis factor-α and C-reactive protein, in young women with arterial hypertension and excess body weight. The study included 43 young women, aged 18-40 (mean age 36.7±2.3 years), who were referred for an examination due to the detection of elevated blood pressure. Based on office and blood pressure measurements, individuals with persistent stage 1 arterial hypertension were divided into two groups: 20 women with normal body weight (group 1) and 23 women with excess body weight (group 2). The control group consisted of 20 women (mean age 36.5±2.7 years) with normal blood pressure and body weight. Young women with stage 1 arterial hypertension showed significantly greater increases in vascular stiffness and central aortic pressure than the control group. In women with stage 1 arterial hypertension and excess body weight, significantly higher values of central haemodynamic parameters were observed: systolic aortic pressure, diastolic aortic pressure, mean aortic pressure and pulse aortic pressure, as well as pulse wave velocity, compared to a group of patients with arterial hypertension and normal body weight. An increase in serum concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-α and C-reactive protein was observed in female patients with grade 1 hypertension, which was more pronounced in those with excess body weight, which confirms the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of hypertension in the examined cohort of young women.