Microvascular blood flow regulation impairments in hypertensive obese people

Hypertension causes several microvascular alterations, leading to inadequate blood supply to tissues and target-organ damage. The present study was aimed to investigate microvascular skin blood flow and related oscillations in hypertensive obese subjects. Twenty-eight controls and twenty-seven hypertensive patients were recruited from our Outpatient Clinics. Anthropometric measurements were evaluated and bioimpedance analysis was performed. Finally, skin microvascular blood flow was measured by a laser Doppler flowmeter and oscillations in blood flow were analyzed by power spectrum analysis. Newly diagnosed hypertensive subjects showed lower mean skin blood flow as well as lower related total power spectral density compared to the controls. In these patients, moreover, power spectral analysis of microvascular oscillations indicate a lower spectral density of the frequency component related to myogenic activity compared to controls. Therefore, hypertension appears to be associated to myogenic impairments, causing changes in microvascular modulation and tissue perfusion.