Increased arterial stiffness in resistant hypertension is associated with inflammatory biomarkers

Background. Increased levels of inflammatory biomarkers such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), 10 (IL-10), 1 beta (IL-1 beta), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) are associated with arterial stiffness in hypertension. Indeed, resistant hypertension (RHTN) leads to unfavorable prognosis attributed to poor blood pressure (BP) control and target organ damage. This study evaluated the potential impact of inflammatory biomarkers on arterial stiffness in RHTN. Methods. in this cross-sectional study, 32 RHTN, 20 mild hypertensive (HTN) and 20 normotensive (NT) patients were subjected to office BP and arterial stiffness measurements assessed by pulse wave velocity (PWV). Inflammatory biomarkers were measured in plasma samples. Results. PWV was increased in RHTN compared with HTN and NT (p < 0.05). TNF-alpha levels were significantly higher in RHTN and HTN than NT patients. No differences in IL-6 levels were observed. RHTN patients had a higher frequency of subjects with increased levels of IL-10 and IL-1 beta compared with HTN and NT patients. Finally, IL-1 beta was independently associated with PWV (p < 0.001; R-2 = 0.5; beta = 0.077). Conclusion. RHTN subjects have higher levels of infl ammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta and IL-10) as well as increased arterial stiffness, and detectable IL-1 beta levels are associated arterial stiffness. These findings suggest that inflammation plays a possible role in the pathophysiology of RHTN.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Univ Campinas Unicamp, Lab Cardiovasc Pharmacol, Fac Med Sci, Campinas, SP, BrazilFed Univ São Paulo Unifesp, Dept Med, Div Cardiol, São Paulo, BrazilFed Univ São Paulo Unifesp, Dept Med, Div Cardiol, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc