Determinants of pulse pressure amplification in hypertensive and diabetic patients

Hypertensive diabetic patients remain at high cardiovascular risk despite adequate blood pressure and glycemic control. Pulse pressure amplification (PPA) is expressed as the peripheral-to-central PP ratio and provides complementary information for use in assessing cardiovascular risk. The aim of our study was to determine the clinical and biological determinants of PPA in hypertensive and diabetic patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 624 patients. Applanation tonometry was used to determine hemodynamic parameters. Age, gender, and the association between hypertension and diabetes were the independent factors of PPA in our population (N = 624). A threshold of 55 years of age was chosen because of its link with menopause in our analysis. Multivariate regression analyses were performed to evaluate the independent determinants of PPA for hypertensive diabetic and hypertensive nondiabetic male and female patients. HbA1c level is the main factor of increased PPA regardless of age and gender (P 55 years (P = 0.0001) and women > 55 years (P = 0.03). The threshold calculated glomerular filtration rate (cGFR)