Stefano Masi1,2,3, Georgios Georgiopoulos4, Martina Chiriacò1,5, Guido Grassi6,7, Gino Seravalle8, Carmine Savoia9, Massimo Volpe9,10, Stefano Taddei1, Damiano Rizzoni11,12, Agostino Virdis1. 1. Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Università degli Studi di Pisa, Via Roma 67, 56126 Pisa, Italy. 2. National Centre for Cardiovascular Prevention and Outcomes, Institute of Cardiovascular Science, University College London, London, UK. 3. Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK. 4. First Department of Cardiology, Hippokration Hospital, University of Athens, Athens, Greece. 5. Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy. 6. Department of Medicine and Surgery, Clinica Medica, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy. 7. Unit of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Science, IRCCS Multimedica, Sesto san Giovanni, Milan, Italy. 8. Cardiology Unit, Fondazione Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Ospedale S. Luca, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy. 9. Cardiology Division, Clinical and Molecular Medicine Department, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy. 10. IRCCS Neuromed - Mediterranean Neurological Institute, Pozzilli, Italy. 11. Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Clinica Medica, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy. 12. Division of Medicine, Istituto Clinico Città di Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
Abstract
AIMS: The relationship between resistance artery remodelling and endothelial function remains unknown. In this study, we assessed (i) the capacity of endothelial function and nitric oxide (NO) availability to provide more information on the severity of resistance artery remodelling than common cardiovascular risk factors in subjects at low or high cardiovascular risk; and (ii) differences between patterns of resistance artery remodelling associated with deficit of NO availability and with exposure to cardiovascular risk factors. METHODS AND RESULTS: All analyses were conducted on the microvascular data set of the Italian Society for Arterial Hypertension (SIIA) that includes 356 patients with measures of small resistance arteries remodelling acquired with pressure or wire myography. Information on endothelial function and NO availability were also available in 116 patients. The European Heart Score (HS) was used to define the total cardiovascular risk of each patient. Endothelial function was inversely related with the severity of the resistance artery remodelling, and this association remained significant after adjustment for the HS. By contrast, the HS lost its significant association with the media-to-lumen (M/L) ratio and the media cross-sectional area after adjustment for endothelial function. The strength of these associations was similar in subjects at high and low cardiovascular risk. The addition of endothelial function and NO availability to the HS significantly improved the identification of subjects at more and less severe resistance artery remodelling. A severe deficit of NO availability was associated with hypertrophic remodelling, while a higher HS was more clearly associated with eutrophic remodelling. CONCLUSION: Resistance artery endothelial function and NO availability might represent important factors involved in resistance artery remodelling, independently from cardiovascular risk factor exposure. Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved.
AIMS: The relationship between resistance artery remodelling and endothelial function remains unknown. In this study, we assessed (i) the capacity of endothelial function and nitric oxide (NO) availability to provide more information on the severity of resistance artery remodelling than common cardiovascular risk factors in subjects at low or high cardiovascular risk; and (ii) differences between patterns of resistance artery remodelling associated with deficit of NO availability and with exposure to cardiovascular risk factors. METHODS AND RESULTS: All analyses were conducted on the microvascular data set of the Italian Society for Arterial Hypertension (SIIA) that includes 356 patients with measures of small resistance arteries remodelling acquired with pressure or wire myography. Information on endothelial function and NO availability were also available in 116 patients. The European Heart Score (HS) was used to define the total cardiovascular risk of each patient. Endothelial function was inversely related with the severity of the resistance artery remodelling, and this association remained significant after adjustment for the HS. By contrast, the HS lost its significant association with the media-to-lumen (M/L) ratio and the media cross-sectional area after adjustment for endothelial function. The strength of these associations was similar in subjects at high and low cardiovascular risk. The addition of endothelial function and NO availability to the HS significantly improved the identification of subjects at more and less severe resistance artery remodelling. A severe deficit of NO availability was associated with hypertrophic remodelling, while a higher HS was more clearly associated with eutrophic remodelling. CONCLUSION: Resistance artery endothelial function and NO availability might represent important factors involved in resistance artery remodelling, independently from cardiovascular risk factor exposure. Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved.
Authors: Stefano Masi; Damiano Rizzoni; Stefano Taddei; Robert Jay Widmer; Augusto C Montezano; Thomas F Lüscher; Ernesto L Schiffrin; Rhian M Touyz; Francesco Paneni; Amir Lerman; Gaetano A Lanza; Agostino Virdis Journal: Eur Heart J Date: 2021-07-08 Impact factor: 29.983
Authors: Francesco Tona; Elena Osto; Peter L M Kerkhof; Roberta Montisci; Giulia Famoso; Giulia Lorenzoni; Laura De Michieli; Annagrazia Cecere; Irene Zanetti; Giovanni Civieri; Sabino Iliceto; Stefano Piaserico Journal: Eur J Clin Invest Date: 2021-11-25 Impact factor: 5.722