Arterial pulse pressure ≥70 mmHg was associated with a more than threefold higher risk of coronary heart disease over 10 years compared to <50 mmHg in European men.
Cohort (n=5,389)
Does increased pulse pressure independently predict coronary heart disease risk in middle-aged and older men?
Increased pulse pressure is an important independent predictor of coronary heart disease risk in older European men, even among those initially considered normotensive.
Effect estimate: HR ~1.10
AIMS: To investigate pulse pressure (PP) as an independent predictor of coronary heart disease (CHD) risk. METHODS AND RESULTS: On the basis of a 10-year follow-up of 5389 men aged 35-65 at recruitment into PROCAM, we used a proportional hazards model to calculate the effect of systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and PP on CHD risk after correcting for age, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, smoking, diabetes, and family history of premature CHD. Increases of 10 mmHg in DBP, SBP, and PP were associated with an increased CHD hazard ratio (HR) of approximately 10%. When the group was divided into the age groups 59 years, this relationship was seen in the age group 50-59 years for DBP, SBP, and PP and in men aged > or =60 for PP only (25% increase in HR). Overall, CHD risk in men with PP > or =70 mmHg was more three times that of men with PP 60 years, and was also present in men who were normotensive at recruitment (SBP < or =160 mmHg, DBP < or =95 mmHg). CONCLUSION: In older European men, increased PP is an important independent determinant of coronary risk, even among those initially considered normotensive.
Assmann et al. (Thu,) conducted a cohort in Coronary heart disease (n=5,389). Arterial pulse pressure vs. Lower pulse pressure was evaluated on Coronary heart disease risk (HR ~1.10). Arterial pulse pressure ≥70 mmHg was associated with a more than threefold higher risk of coronary heart disease over 10 years compared to <50 mmHg in European men.