Enhance endothelial function mediated by antihypertensive treatment improves beat to beat smooth muscle energy dissipation

There are early alterations in endothelial, arterial function and structure in hypertensive patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate in human essential hypertension, the effects of a combination drug, perindoprilindapamide, on both arterial wall viscosity and endothelial function. Arterial diameter (automatic B mode images analysis) and instantaneous pressure (applanation tonometry) were measured in the common carotid artery. A viscoelastic model was used to derive arterial wall viscosity (/spl eta/) by the hysteresis pressure-diameter loop elimination criteria. Flow mediated dilation (FMD) was evaluated in the brachial artery by comparing arterial diameter at rest and during reactive hyperemia after 5 min of brachial occlusion. After 6 months of treatment, blood pressure levels normalized and FMD improved significantly (p<0.05). Similar behavior was founded in /spl eta/, which represents an intrinsic marker of smooth muscle mechanical performance. In conclusion, our results suggests that in essential hypertension, in the arterial wall, the endothelial dysfunction is associated with an abnormal energy dissipation.