Aortic stiffness leads to high BP, not vice versa - TheHeart.org

A new study suggests that stiffness of the aorta is associated with hypertension years later, contradicting one of the widely accepted current theories pertaining to high blood pressure [1]. Dr Bernard M Kaess (NHLBI Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, MA) and colleagues report their findings, which they say have many important implications, in the September 5, 2012 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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And in an editorial accompanying the paper [2], Dr Debabrata Mukherjee (Texas Tech University Health Science Center, El Paso, TX) agrees: "Future studies are indicated to assess whether vascular therapy focused on improving arterial elasticity or reducing stiffness will reduce risk of hypertension and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality."

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