Angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockers prevent aortic arterial stiffness in elderly patients with hypertension

ABSTRACT

Backgrounds and aims: Increased arterial stiffness may increase cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockers (ARBs) are potentially useful in controlling the central blood pressure and arterial stiffness in mild to moderate essential hypertension, while the effects of ARBs in aged patients with essential hypertension are not entirely investigated.

Methods: The carotid-femoral arterial pulse wave velocity (PWV) was measured in aged patients with essential hypertension.

Results: In a cross-sectional study, PWV value was significantly higher in these old patients with essential hypertension, compared to patients without essential hypertension. In correlation analysis, PWV was associated positively with age, hypertension duration, and carotid atherosclerosis. However, there was no relationship between PWV and gender in aged patients with essential hypertension. In a perspective study, 6–12 months administration of ARBs (losartan, 50 mg/day; telmisartan, 40 mg/day; valsartan 80 mg/day; irbesartan, 150 mg/day) remarkably reduced PWV in aged patients with essential hypertension. Regression analyses of multiple factors indicated that the effects of ARBs on arterial stiffness were not associated with the reduction of blood pressure.

Conclusion: ARB treatment is a negative risk factor of arterial stiffness in aged patients with essential hypertension.

KEYWORDS:

• Arterial stiffness
• essential hypertension
• elderly
• angiotensin II type 1 receptor blocker
• losartan

Conflict of Interest

None

Author contributions

Z.M.Z. and R.L.S. designed and conducted the experiments, collected and analyzed data. H.Y.Z., F.R.Z., G.P.P., C.Z., P.S., P.L., J.X., and S.W. partially performed some experiments. Y.L.Y. analyzed data, wrote the manuscript, and convinced the whole project.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (81874312, 81570723, 81673423, U1704168, 81770493 and 81470591), and Natural Science Foundation of Henan Province (162300410216, 182300410332), and Research project of Xinxiang Medical University (XYBSKYZZ201626, 2016PN-KFKT-02, 2017CXY-2-6). This work was supported by Vascular Remodeling Intervention and Molecular Targeted Therapy Drug Development Innovation Team and Cardiovascular Remodeling Intervention and Molecular Targeting Drug Research and Development Key Laboratory. Ya-Ling Yin is a Creative Talents in the Education Department of Henan, Tai-Hang young Professional Scholar of Xinxiang Medical University and the Young Backbone Teachers of Colleges and Universities in Henan