The usefulness of aortic arch width measurements on chest radiographs of adult patients with systemic hypertension and hypertensive heart disease

Background: Systemic hypertension is a worldwide epidemic and often called a silent killer. It is the most common cardiovascular disease among Africans, and an acknowledged potential risk factor for the development of complications such as stroke, hypertensive heart disease, hypertensive heart failure, and end-organ damage to the brain, eyes, and kidneys. Systemic hypertension and hypertensive heart disease are major causes of widened aortic arch width (AAW) which is evident on chest radiographs. Aim and Objectives: This study is aimed to establish the usefulness of AAW measurements on chest radiographs of patients with systemic hypertension and hypertensive heart disease among adults in Zaria. Materials and Methods: The present study was carried out in the Department of Radiology, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria. Consecutive 305 hypertensive patients and equal number of normotensive individuals, age- and sex-matched controls were recruited. The chest radiographs of the participants were taken according to the standard technique. Results: The mean AAW for the hypertensive patients and controls were 4.34 cm ± 0.79 cm and 3.35 cm ± 0.63 cm, respectively. There was a significant correlation between AAW and blood pressure, particularly in patients <50 years of age. Other variables such as age, body mass index, hypertensive heart disease, and cardiothoracic ratio also correlated positively with AAW. Conclusion: The AAW showed a positive correlation with age and blood pressure with the relationship been more positive with blood pressure. Hypertensive heart disease also correlated positively with AAW.