Elevated Central Blood Pressure In Young African American Men - Noninvasive Technology May Cardiovascular Risk Earlier

Main Category: Hypertension
Also Included In: Cardiovascular / Cardiology
Article Date: 12 Dec 2008 - 0:00 PDT

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AtCor Medical (ASX: ACG), the developer and marketer of the SphygmoCor(R) system, which measures central blood pressures and arterial stiffness noninvasively, today responded to media reports on a study* available online in the American Journal of Physiology, published by the American Physiological Society.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign study compared vascular function in groups of healthy young African American and Caucasian men. The study found that while both groups of men had similar brachial cuff (measured at the arm) blood pressures, the young African American men had high central blood pressures (the pressure in the ascending aorta). Elevated central blood pressure, which cannot be detected with traditional cuff blood pressure measurement, is associated with increased risk of heart attack, stroke and kidney disease. AtCor Medical's SphygmoCor technology was used to noninvasively measure central blood pressure during the study.

The University of Illinois study highlights the limitations of using standard cuff blood pressure measurement alone in diagnosing and treating hypertension. "Our results support the notion that brachial BP (blood pressure) does not reflect vascular burden, particularly in young healthy African American men and alterations in central pressure may precede alterations in brachial pressure," the authors stated.

Elevated Central Pressure: Elevated Risk of Heart Attack, Stroke, Kidney Disease

The adverse implications of elevated central blood pressure have been observed in a number of other studies. The Strong Heart Study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), involving over 3,500 patients, showed in a multivariate analysis that central blood pressure, measured with SphygmoCor, but not brachial blood pressure, predicted cardiovascular events. A follow-on analysis of Strong Heart Study data, recently presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2008, defined a specific level of central pulse pressure (50mmHg) above which adverse cardiovascular events increase significantly. That study's authors called for consideration of central pulse pressure as a treatment target in clinical intervention strategies.

"It is well recognized that African American men have a higher prevalence of hypertension," said Duncan Ross, AtCor President and CEO. "Detecting elevated central pressure early -- allowing timely intervention -- may help prevent cardiovascular disease in later life. As the U of I study authors observed, the measurement of central blood pressure may fill a crucial void in the current management of hypertension. Yet again, the science shows that it is critically important to measure central blood pressure," Ross concluded.

About AtCor Medical

AtCor Medical develops and markets products for the early detection of cardiovascular risk and management of cardiovascular disease. Its technology allows researchers and clinicians to measure central blood pressure noninvasively. The company's SphygmoCor system visibly identifies the effects of reflected blood pressure in the central aortic pressure wave, effects which cannot be detected with standard blood pressure monitoring. More than 1,700 SphygmoCor systems are currently in use worldwide in major medical and research institutions, physician practices and in various clinical trials with leading pharmaceutical companies. The company's technology has been featured in hundreds of studies published in peer-reviewed medical journals.

AtCor has operations in the United States, Australia, and Europe. For more information, visit our website at http://www.atcormedical.com.

* Racial differences in central blood pressure and vascular function in young men
Kevin S. Heffernan et al.
Articles in Press. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol.

AtCor Medical