Arterial Stiffness in Prehypertension: A Possible Vicious Cycle

The pathophysiological abnormalities associated with increased arterial stiffness and/or abnormal pressure wave reflection may play crucial roles in increasing the risk of development of cardiovascular events. On the other hand, prehypertension, defined as a systolic blood pressure of 120-139 and/or a diastolic blood pressure of 80-89 mmHg, is a "danger zone" for the later development of hypertension and is also associated with an increased incidence of cardiovascular diseases and cardiovascular mortality. We discuss the association among arterial stiffness/pressure wave reflection, prehypertension, and the later development of hypertension. Several prospective studies have demonstrated that increased arterial stiffness/abnormal pressure wave reflection are risk factors for the later development of hypertension in subjects with prehypertension. On the contrary, persistence of prehypertention accelerates the age-related increase of the arterial stiffness. Thus, arterial stiffness and prehypertension may be elements of a vicious cycle, and other cardiovascular risk factors, such as aging and abnormal glucose metabolism, may aggravate this cycle. In the future, development of a simple technique to assess large/small arterial stiffness and an effective strategy to reduce arterial stiffness in subjects with prehypertension is warranted.