Relationship Between Late Systolic Wave in Brachial Artery Doppler Blood Flow Pattern and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Patients with Hypertension

Earlier appearance of arterial wave reflections due to increased arterial stiffness may cause Iate systolic wave in the brachial artery Doppler study. In this study, we investigated the relationship between Iate systolic wave and cardiovascular risk factoı·s such as hypertension, diabetes, gender, age, hyperlipidemia and sınoking. Blood flow profile and velocity of the brachial artery were determined noninvasively by ultrasound pulsed Doppler technique under the guidance of a B-mode ultrasound image in 56 patients with hypertension. In 23 patients (38.6%) with hypertension, a Iate systolic wave was observed in the brachial artery Doppler study. There was no signi ficant stenosis along the brachial artery on the B-mode images. In patients with hypertension hyperlipidemia (p<0.05), cigarette s ın ek in g (p<0.05), diabetes mellitus (p<0.05) and advanced age (p<0.05) were found to be independent risk factors for Iate systolic wave. Thus stiffness of the arterial system induced by certain cardiovascular risk factors may produce alterations in regional wave reflections and changes peripheral arterial Doppler signs.