The effect of combined therapy on the properties of the vessel wall in patients at high risk of cardiovascular complications

Introduction. The evaluation of therapy effectiveness in patients at high risk of cardiovascular complications includes the evaluation of target organs condition. A complex approach means follow-up control of laboratory and instrumental data. Materials and methods. The study included 113 patients with hypertension and nonstenotic atherosclerosis of brachiocephalic arteries. All the patients received antihypertensive therapy and some received hypolipidemic drugs. Cholesterol and low density lipoproteins (LDL) levels, brachial and central blood pressure (BP), brachial-ankle and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (baPWV and cfPWV, respectively), augmentation index (AI) of fibrosis markers (C-terminal telopeptide from collagen I (CITP) and C-terminal terminal propeptide of pro-collagen I (PINP) were assessed at baseline, after 6 months and 12 months of treatment with fixed combination of amlodipine, lisinopril and rosuvastatin. Results. The conducted therapy was followed by lowering the LDL levels from 3.9 (3.1; 4.6) to 2 (1.8; 2.3) mmol/L (p<0.01), brachial systolic and diastolic BP levels from 127 (116; 139) to 123 (115; 131) mm Hg (p<0.01) and from 79 (72; 89) to 75 (70; 83) mm Hg (p<0.01) respectively, central systolic and diastolic BP levels from 126 (112; 137) to 120 (110; 124) mm Hg (p<0.01) and from 80 (75; 87) to 76 (70; 81) mm Hg (p<0.01) respectively; by decreasing arterial stiffness: baPWV from 13.6 (12.5; 15.9) to 12.9 (11.8; 14.3) m/s (p<0.01) and cfPWV from 11 (9; 12.2) to 9.4 (8.4; 10.2) m/s (p<0.01), AI decreased from 31 (25; 35) to 26 (21; 32); p<0.05. The arterial stiffness index calculated without BP levels (cardio-ankle vascular index) decreased from 7.2 (6.6; 8.3) to 7.0 (6.6; 7.9) m/s (p<0.05). Treatment with Ekvamer® resulted in PINP levels decreasing from 49.8 (33; 67) to 35 (21; 52) mg/dL (p<0.05) and CITP - from 0.44 (0.24-0.6) to 0.3 (0.18-0.46) mg/dL (p<0.05). No difference between initial and final PINP/CITP levels was observed. The dynamics of PINP levels was associated with aortal stiffness dynamics, cfPWV (r=0.5; p<0.05). Conclusion. Treatment with fixed combination of amlodipine, lisinopril and rosuvastatin resulted in reaching target levels of LDL, brachial and central BP, and arterial stiffness decrease in patients at high risk of cardiovascular complications. The cfPWV dynamics was inter-related with collagen synthesis marker PINP levels.