Arterial compliance in a group of normotensive and untreated hypertensive Cameroonian subjects in Yaounde.

Introduction: Arterial compliance is an independent predictor of cardiovascular events. It decreases with age and this decrease is accelerated by hypertension. The objectives were to determine the arterial compliance in a group of normotensive and untreated hypertensive stage 1, 2 and 3 Cameroonian subjects.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from August 2012 to February 2013 in Yaoundé. Our sample size was 88 participants. The PulsePen device was used to determine cfPWV (carotid-femoral Pulse Wave Velocity) and central Augmentation Index % (AIx). Other measurements obtained were: blood pressure (BP), body mass index (BMI), fasting glycaemia, lipid profile and serum creatinine.

Results: Our sample's mean age was 35.48 years and ranged from 20 to 60 years. The means of: cfPWV, SBP, DBP, Pulse Pressure (PP) and Heart Rate (HR) showed a statistically significant increase (p-value < 0.05) across the groups from normotensive to severely hypertensive patients. cfPWV was significantly correlated (p-value< 0.05) to: Age, Central SBP, Central DBP, Central PP, HR, BMI and central Augmentation index (AIx). Furthermore, cfPWV was significantly dependent on LVH (p-value <0.05).

Conclusion: This study suggests that arterial compliance decreases with increase severity of hypertension, indicating a higher risk of developing cardiovascular events in severely hypertensive patients.