Central Blood Pressure A Superior Determinant Of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy

Main Category: Hypertension
Article Date: 04 Feb 2010 - 0:00 PDT

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AtCor Medical (ASX: ACG), the developer and marketer of the SphygmoCor® system, which measures central blood pressure and arterial stiffness noninvasively, announced the publication of a new NIH-funded study*, published in the Journal of Hypertension, found that central (aortic) blood pressure, measured noninvasively with AtCor's SphygmoCor system, is a more important indicator of the development of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) than is brachial blood pressure. LVH relates to muscle thickening in the heart's pumping chamber. Its incidence increases with age, and is more common in people who have high blood pressure.

The study, which included data from 2,585 participants in the Strong Heart study, concluded that its result lent support to the "growing body of data indicating that central pressure is a more important determinant of cardiovascular target organ damage, morbidity and mortality than brachial blood pressure."

"This new publication reinforces the vital importance of measuring central blood pressure, in clinical trials and in patient care," said Duncan Ross, AtCor Medical President and CEO. "Left ventricular hypertrophy is a major risk factor for heart failure, heart attack and stroke. This is more evidence that shows it is vitally important to measure central blood pressure to identify patients at risk, effectively manage hypertension therapy, and assess the impact of positive lifestyle changes."

*Relations of central and brachial blood pressure to left ventricular hypertrophy and geometry: the Strong Heart Study Roman et al. Journal of Hypertension 2010, Vol 28 No 00

Source
AtCor Medical

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