Accumulating evidence suggests that increased visit-to-visit variability (VVV) of blood pressure is associated with stroke. No study has examined the association between VVV of blood pressure and stroke in postmenopausal women, and scarce data exists as to whether this relation is independent of the temporal trend of blood pressure. We examined the association of VVV of blood pressure with stroke in 58,228 postmenopausal women enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative. Duplicate blood pressure readings, which were averaged, were taken at baseline and at each annual visit. VVV was defined as the standard deviation about the participant's mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) across visits (SD), and about the participant's regression line with SBP regressed across visits (SDreg). Over a median follow-up of 5.4 years, 997 strokes occurred. In an adjusted model including mean SBP over time, the hazard ratios (95% CI) of stroke for higher quartiles of SD of SBP compared to the lowest quartile (referent) were 1.39 (1.03-1.89) for quartile 2, 1.52 (1.13-2.03) for quartile 3, and 1.72 (1.28-2.32) for quartile 4 (P trend<0.001). The relation was similar for SDreg of SBP quartiles in a model that additionally adjusted for the temporal trend in SBP (P trend<0.001). The associations did not differ by stroke type (ischemic vs. hemorrhagic). There was a significant interaction between mean SBP and SDreg on stroke with the strongest association seen below 120 mmHg. In postmenopausal women, greater VVV of SBP was associated with increased risk of stroke, particularly in the lowest range of mean SBP.

Aims-Using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), we sought to characterize coronary morphology in women with chest pain without major epicardial obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). We have previously observed an unexpectedly high rate of adverse outcomes among women with chest pain and normal or insignificant obstructive CAD. Information about the presence and characteristics of coronary atherosclerosis in these women could provide insight into the mechanisms related to increased risk, as well as improved diagnosis, prevention, and treatment.Methods-Women (n=100) with suspected ischemia without obstructive CAD (>50% stenosis) underwent IVUS of a left coronary segment with measurements by a core lab masked to clinical and angiographic findings.Results-Angiograhic core lab analysis found 69.6% of patients had no (≤20%) and 30.4% had minimal (20-<50%) CAD. IVUS segmental images were interpretable by the core lab in 92 women, with 19 (21%) having no atherosclerosis (intimal-medial thickness <0.5 mm). In the remaining 73 women (79%), percent atheroma volume was 27±8% and mean maximum plaque thickness was 0.53±0.22 mm. Thirty-eight women with atherosclerosis (53%) had >30% of interrogated vessel involved. The average vessel involvement was 40%, and the maximum plaque thickness was 1.27 mm. The number of risk factors strongly correlated with percent atheroma volume (r=0.53, p<0.0001) and percent vessel involvement (r=0.51, p<0.0001), with the strongest Address for reprints: R. David