Pulse Waveform Analysis of Chinese Pulse Images and Its Association with Disability in Hypertension

Hypertension affects functional capacity and quality of life. Pulse wave analysis (PWA) quantifies the pulse waveform's propagation and its changes resulting from arterial remodeling. Pulse image analysis (PIA) in traditional Chinese medicine contributes to pattern differentiation and therapeutic intervention. This protocol study evaluates the relationships between the parameters of both PWA and PIA to identify patterns in patients with hypertension and the associations of those patterns with functional capacity. In this observational, cross-sectional study protocol 40 patients were subjected to clinical and laboratorial examinations to assess the risk factors for cardiovascular disease and pattern differentiation. PWA was noninvasively performed at the radial artery to estimate the pulse wave's velocity, arterial compliance, and reflection index. PIA using the "simultaneous pressing" method was performed to assess nine indicators. Handgrip strength and physical activity was assessed as functional outcomes. We hypothesized that interactions between patterns and pulse images affect the PWA parameters and that the functional outcomes are weakly associated with personal, hemodynamic and risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Performing a PIA in patients with hypertension might allow the identification of early target-organ damage, standardization of the PIA based on the PWA, and unification of the pulse diagnosis.