Sex Differences in the Endothelial Function of Untreated Hypertension

J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2012;14:228–235. ©2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Vascular endothelial dysfunction is associated with increased risk for adverse cardiovascular (CV) events. However, less is known about sex differences in the endothelial function of untreated hypertensive individuals. The purpose of this study was to assess endothelial function in women and men with untreated hypertension. Ninety participants (35 women, 55 men), aged 40 to 60 years (mean age, 46.1±8.2 years), with untreated stage 1 hypertension (systolic blood pressure 140–159 mm Hg and/or diastolic blood pressure 90–99 mm Hg) underwent brachial artery endothelial‐dependent flow‐mediated dilation and endothelial‐independent glyceryl trinitrate dilation. Women had a smaller flow‐mediated dilation response than men (adjusted mean±standard error of the mean [SEM]; 1.8±0.6% vs 3.9±0.4%, P=.036), adjusting for baseline arterial diameter (P=.004), age (P=.596), ethnicity (P=.496), log shear stress ratio (P