Combined effects of hypertension and arterial stiffness on target organ damage among community-based screening participants

We investigated the impact of hypertension and high pulse wave velocity (PWV), each assessed in a single measurement, on target organ damage, proteinuria, and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). This observational cross-sectional study included 13,186 patients who underwent brachial-ankle PWV (baPWV) measurement, urinalysis, and electrocardiography during a health check-up. Blood pressure (BP) was measured at the time of baPWV measurement. Proteinuria and LVH were evaluated using a urine dipstick test and electrocardiography, respectively. Participants were categorized into four groups based on their hypertension (yes/no, defined as BP >= 140/90 mmHg) and baPWV (high/low, cutoff value of 14.0 m/s) statuses. The mean age of the participants was 53 +/- 11 years, and the prevalence of proteinuria and LVH was 594 (4.5%) and 1716 (13.0%), respectively. Compared with the non-hypertension with low baPWV group, the non-hypertension with high baPWV (odds ratio [OR] 1.41 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.07-1.86]), hypertension with low baPWV (OR 2.66 [95% CI, 1.78-3.97]), and hypertension with high baPWV groups (OR 2.80 [95% CI, 2.18-3.61]) exhibited a higher multivariate-adjusted risk for proteinuria. The hypertension with low baPWV group had a significantly higher risk of proteinuria than the non-hypertension with high baPWV group. Similar results were obtained for LVH. Hypertension and a high baPWV were independently associated with the prevalence of proteinuria and LVH. Hypertension assessed in a single BP measurement is likely to be a more important risk factor for proteinuria and LVH than high baPWV.Hypertension and high brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity were independently associated with the prevalence of proteinuria and left ventricular hypertrophy. Hypertension assessed in a single blood pressure measurement is likely to be a more important risk factor for proteinuria and left ventricular hypertrophy than high brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity.