Thoracic, Aorta/physiopathology

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Editorial

Aortic Arch Calcification on routine Chest Radiography is Strongly and Independently Associated with Non-Dipper Blood Pressure Pattern

Arterial hypertension is the most prevalent chronic disease worldwide, and it is estimated that in Brazil, according to the Vigitel study of 2018, the Brazilian population has 24.7% of hypertensive individuals. It is the most important risk factor for all cardiovascular diseases, being one of the main factors responsible for stroke, coronary artery disease, heart failure, renal failure, and so on.

Blood pressure is not simply a biological phenomenon characterized by two numbers expressed in mmHg that reflect systolic and diastolic pressure. It is a multiform event resulting from the hydrodynamic action of a complex fluid that exerts force on a compliant vascular wall, with elastic properties governed by multiple forces arising from vascular structures (muscle cells, extracellular matrix, elastic fibers, etc.). This vector wave of blood follows the laws of sympathetic and parasympathetic interaction, varying more or less depending on the conditions of each patient. Therefore, the simple measurement of blood pressure in the office does not reflect the reality of the patient’s true daily life.

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Original Article

Aortic Arch Calcification on Routine Chest Radiography is Strongly and Independently Associated with Non-Dipper Blood Pressure Pattern

Adem Adar et al. Orhan Onalan Fahri Cakan Ertan Akbay Ekrem Karakaya

Abstract

Background:

Non-dipper blood pressure (NDBP) is one of the important causes of hypertension-related target organ damage and future cardiovascular events. Currently, there is no practical tool to predict NDBP pattern.

Objectives:

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between aortic arch calcification (AAC) on chest radiography and NDBP pattern.

Methods:

All patients referred for ambulatory BP monitoring test were approached for the study participation. NDBP was defined as the reduction of ≤10% in nighttime systolic BP as compared to the daytime values. AAC was evaluated with chest radiography and inter-observer agreement was analyzed by using kappa statistics. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the association of AAC and NDBP pattern. A 2-tailed p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results:

A total of 406 patients (median age: 51.3) were included. Of these, 261(64%) had NDBP pattern. Overall, the prevalence of AAC was 230 (57%). Non-dipper group had significantly higher prevalence of AAC (70% vs. 33%, p < 0.0001) as compared to the dipper group. Presence of AAC was a strong and independent predictor of NDBP pattern (OR 3.919, 95%CI 2.39 to 6.42) in multivariate analysis.

Conclusions:

Presence of AAC on plain chest radiography is strongly and independently associated with the presence of NDBP pattern.