Peripheral and central arterial pressure and its relationship to vascular target organ damage in carotid artery, retina and arterial stiffness. Development and validation of a tool. The Vaso risk study.

Background: Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) shows a better correlation to target organ damage and cardiovascular morbidity-mortality than office blood pressure. A loss of arterial elasticity and an increase in carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) has been associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity-mortality. Tools have been developed that allow estimation of the retinal arteriovenous index but not all studies coincide and there are contradictory results in relation to the evolution of the arteriosclerotic lesions and the caliber of the retinal vessels.

Relationships of night/day heart rate ratio with carotid intima media thickness and markers of arterial stiffness.

Objectives: To analyze the relationship between office and ambulatory heart rate, and its variability, and arterial stiffness in patients with primary arterial hypertension.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a primary care setting, with the inclusion of 356 hypertensive patients aged 30-80 years. Office and ambulatory blood pressure, heart rate, night/day heart rate ratio and the corresponding standard deviations, were determined.

[Durability of the effects of a quality improvement intervention in hypertensive patients on long-term follow-up (CICLO-RISK study)].

Objective: To evaluate the durability of the effects achieved with a quality improvement intervention on cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular risk, as intermediate outcomes, in hypertensive patients on long-term follow-up long time primary health care.

Design: Quasi-experimental study.

Setting: Two urban primary care health centres.

[Cardiovascular risk of hypertensive people with long-range monitoring. The effect of aging (Ciclo Risk Study)].

Background: The evolution of estimated cardiovascular risk can be for evaluating the effectiveness of the different treatment interventions which are carried out on patients with regular follow-up by family physicians. This study is aimed at evaluating the effect of aging on the evolution of cardiovascular risk among hypertensive patients with long-range Primary Care monitoring.

Methods: Longitudinal, descriptive study with monitoring of 842 hypertensive patients within the 34-70 age range at two primary care centers, with a quality improvement intervention (improvement cycle) during the last year at one of these centers.