The prevalence of central hypertension defined by a central blood pressure type I device and its association with target organ damage in the community-dwelling elderly Chinese: The Northern Shanghai Study.

We aimed to investigate the prevalence of central hypertension and its association with target organ damage (TOD). 1983 community-dwelling elderly Chinese people were recruited for this analysis. Brachial and central blood pressure (BP) were measured by an oscillometric device and SphygmoCor (type I device), respectively. Brachial hypertension was defined by brachial systolic BP/diastolic BP ≥140/90 mmHg or using antihypertensive medications. Central hypertension was defined by central systolic BP/diastolic BP ≥130/90 mmHg or using antihypertensive medications. TOD included left ventricular hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction, carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, and urinary albumin-creatinine ratio. In this cohort, there were 563 (28.4%) brachial and central consistent normotension, 46 (2.3%) isolated brachial hypertension, 27 (1.4%) isolated central hypertension, and 1347 (67.9%) brachial and central combined hypertension (BCCH). In analysis of variance, BCCH showed significantly higher levels in all TOD than brachial and central consistent normotension. In multiple logistic regression, all TOD were significantly associated with BCCH (left ventricular hypertrophy: adjusted odds ratios [95% confidence interval] = 2.03 [1.55, 2.68]; left ventricular diastolic dysfunction: 2.29 [1.53, 3.43]; carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity >10 m/s: 3.41 [2.55, 4.58]; urinary albumin-creatinine ratio >30 mg/g: 1.97 [1.58, 2.44]), rather than isolated brachial hypertension or isolated central hypertension. In conclusion, central hypertension was prevalent (69.3%) in this elderly cohort. BCCH was independently and significantly associated with cardiac, arterial, and renal damage. This finding implies that both brachial and central BPs need to be considered for managing hypertension.