Short-Term Blood Pressure Variability Relates to the Presence of Subclinical Brain Small Vessel Disease in Primary Hypertension.

Blood pressure (BP) variability is associated with stroke risk, but less is known about subclinical cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD). We aimed to determine whether CSVD relates to short-term BP variability independently of BP levels and also, whether they improve CSVD discrimination beyond clinical variables and office BP levels. This was a cohort study on asymptomatic hypertensives who underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging and 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring.

High daytime and nighttime ambulatory pulse pressure predict poor cognitive function and mild cognitive impairment in hypertensive individuals.

High blood pressure accelerates normal aging stiffness process. Arterial stiffness (AS) has been previously associated with impaired cognitive function and dementia. Our aims are to study how cognitive function and status (mild cognitive impairment, MCI and normal cognitive aging, NCA) relate to AS in a community-based population of hypertensive participants assessed with office and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure measurements.

Role of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 activity for the prediction of silent brain infarcts in women.

Objectives: Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2), predicts risk of coronary events and stroke and might be associated with cerebral small vessel disease. We aimed to determine whether silent brain infarcts relate to Lp-PLA2 activity and also, whether the addition of Lp-PLA2 activity to prognostic clinical models improves silent brain infarcts' discrimination.

Methods: Cross-sectional study in 921 stroke-free individuals.