Arterial Stiffness and Blood Pressure
Hypertension is a common and treatable disorder that remains the leading preventable cause of heart disease. Blood pressure treatment relies mainly on upper arm blood pressure readings and ignores blood vessel physiology and underlying individual genetic information. Older Veterans with hypertension are less likely to
| Condition(s) | Hypertension, Vascular Stiffness, Aging |
|---|---|
| Status | Recruiting |
| Phase | NA |
| Study type | Interventional |
| Summary | Hypertension is a common and treatable disorder that remains the leading preventable cause of heart disease. Blood pressure treatment relies mainly on upper arm blood pressure readings and ignores blood vessel physiology and underlying individual genetic information. Older Veterans with hypertension are less likely to be treated to goal blood pressure because there are conflicting recommendations for what constitutes "optimal" in older adults. The investigators have developed a novel way to non-invasively assess the components of blood vessel stiffness that is related to blood pressure (load-dependent stiffness). This project will generate new knowledge about how different blood pressure treatment goals (intensive vs standard) impact different components of arterial stiffness and if these |
| Who can participate | Inclusion Criteria: * Male and female participants from VA VISN 7, 9, and 12 will be eligible to participate if they are over age 60 years and have a diagnosis of hypertension or take antihypertensive medications (up to 4). * Veterans will require documented SBP readings on 2 or more office visits that are 140 mmHg or average home blood pressure readings 135 mmHg to be eligible for the trial. * Participants must be willing to be randomized to intensive or standard blood pressure treatment and have blood pressure medications adjusted per the study protocol. * They must be willing to undergo tonometric evaluation of arterial stiffness, and carotid artery ultrasound. Exclusion Criteria: * Participants who have an indication for a specific BP lowering medication that is not included in the stu |
| Ages | 60 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Lead sponsor | VA Office of Research and Development |
| Locations | Birmingham, Alabama, United States; Nashville, Tennessee, United States; Madison, Wisconsin, United States |
| Start date | 2025-05-01 |
| NCT ID | NCT06495710 |
| Official listing | https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06495710 |