Morgan TO
Effect of KCl on central aortic pressure in elderly patients on
beta-blocking drugs
11th Scientific Meeting, American Society of Hypertension
Am J Hypert
(Apr) 9:102A 1996
Measurement of brachial artery pressure is only one measure of the
hypertensive state. We know
there are differences between peripheral and central blood pressure, but what
if therapy outcome
assessment by brachial artery pressure measurement can be deceiving? This is
exactly what this
interesting abstract suggests. It also touches on the role of KCl
supplementation on blood
pressure. Giving KCl to hypertensives has been disappointing if outcome is
measured as brachial
artery BP. KHCO3 seems to work better.
In this study, radial artery tonometry is used to estimate central aortic
pressures. Ten elderly
hypertensive patients were first treated with atenolol, and then with
atenolol plus KCl
supplementation (no diuretics were used), Atenolol reduced the clinic BP
nicely, and further
reductions were not seen when KCl (48 mmol/day) was added to the regimen.
However, the augmented
central pressure went from 26 +/- 5 on placebo, to 33 +/- 4 on atenolol, to
21 +/- 4 mm Hg on
atenolol plus KCl. KCl supplementation may actually be more beneficial than
previous brachial
artery BP data suggest.
Comment: Although it was not proven that the beneficial effect was on
compliance, it is
interesting to compare these findings to those of
Resnick and colleagues, who found that
intracellular Mg levels and
large vessel compliance are related. Perhaps giving KCl increases Mgi...
(John T. Daugirdas, M.D., University of Illinois at Chicago)
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11th Scientific Meeting, American Society of Hypertension
H: Pathophysiology :
Vascular pathology
H: Drug therapy :
Beta blockers