Endothelium-dependent vasodilation in relation to different measurements of blood pressure in the elderly: the prospective investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors study

OBJECTIVES: We have earlier showed endothelium-dependent vasodilation (EDV) in forearm resistance arteries to be mainly related to diastolic blood pressure (DBP), whereas flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) was mainly related to systolic blood pressure (SBP) when measured with a mercury sphygmomanometer in the brachial artery. Here, we investigated whether these relationships were more powerful if blood pressure was measured invasively or by transformation to central aortic blood pressure. METHODS: In the prospective study of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors, 1016 patients aged 70 years were evaluated by the invasive forearm technique with acetylcholine (EDV), and brachial artery ultrasound to assess FMD. Blood pressure was measured with a mercury sphygmomanometer, invasively in the brachial artery and transformed to aortic blood pressure by pulse wave analysis. RESULTS: EDV was related to DBP with a similar strength regardless of whether DBP was measured traditionally, invasively or as calculated aortic pressure. Similarly, FMD was related to SBP with similar strength regardless of whether SBP was measured traditionally, invasively or as calculated aortic pressure. Only FMD was significantly related to pulse pressure. CONCLUSION: Measurements of blood pressure invasively or by calculation of aortic blood pressure did not increase the power of the associations between blood pressure and EDV in the elderly, when compared with traditional blood pressure measurements.