Long-term reduction in aortic stiffness: a 5.3-year follow-up in routine clinical practice.

Background: Whether a direct blood pressure-independent reduction in aortic stiffness can occur after several years of antihypertensive treatment has never been unequivocally demonstrated.

Method: In this observational study, performed under conditions of routine clinical practice, we included 97 patients (age 63 ± 11 years) with treated essential hypertension who attended the outpatient hypertension clinic of a university hospital, had a significant blood pressure (BP) lowering under treatment before the first measurement of aortic stiffness, and had at least one additional measurement of aortic stiffness during follow-up. Aortic stiffness and carotid pulse pressure (PP) were determined through carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) and applanation tonometry, respectively.