Low fractional diastolic pressure in the ascending aorta increased the risk of coronary heart disease.

Although the fractional pulse pressure in the ascending aorta is related to the occurrence of coronary heart disease (CHD) and restenosis after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, the relative values of diastolic pressure in the ascending aorta at the onset of CHD have not been reported. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the relative values of diastolic pressure are associated with the risk of CHD. For this study, we enrolled 406 patients with chest pain, normal contractions, no local asynergy, and no history of myocardial infarction. We measured the ascending aortic pressure using a fluid-filled system. To quantify the relative diastolic pressure, we normalised the diastolic pressures to the mean pressure and referred to this value as the fractional diastolic pressure (FDP). We investigated the association between the FDP and the risk of CHD. Low FDP in the ascending aorta was associated with an increased risk of CHD. The multiple-adjusted odds ratio of CHD was 1.68 (95% CI, 0.67-4.22) in FDP for the middle tertile of the level. The multiple-adjusted odds ratio of CHD was 2.20 (1.16-4.75) in FDP for the lowest tertile compared with the highest tertile. FDP was associated with the risk of CHD.