ObjectiveTo evaluate the level of arteriosclerosis in patients with hypertension defined by the American Heart Association (AHA) and classical diagnostic criteria. MethodsA total of 3 815 residents were enrolled in 10 communities in north Shanghai. According to the classic diagnostic criteria of hypertension (systolic blood pressure≥140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure≥90 mmHg) and AHA diagnostic criteria (systolic blood pressure≥130 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure≥80 mmHg), the population was divided into normal blood pressure group, AHA diagnosis standard hypertension group, and classic methods of diagnosis of hypertension group. The differences in cervical-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV) and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (ba-PWV) among the three groups were compared. SPSS 13.0 software was then used for data analysis.ResultsCompared with the patients who met the standard criteria, patients who met AHA criteria had lower mean ages (70.2±7.4 vs. 71.4±7.9 year, P<0.001), more history of hypertension (48.8% vs. 72.7%, P<0.001) and lower body mass index (24.1±3.5 vs. 24.7±3.9 kg/m2, P<0.001), low-density lipoprotein (3.07±0.92 vs. 3.15±0.97 mmol/L, P=0.033), cf-PWV (8.7±2.7 vs. 9.8±3.0 m/s, P<0.001) and ba-PWV (1 647.7±610.1 vs. 1 797.2±729.7 cm/s, P<0.001). ConclusionsThe degree of arteriosclerosis of patients who meet AHA standards is between that who meet the standard criteria and the normal population. For these patients, blood pressure should be actively controlled to delay the progression of arteriosclerosis.