Aortic haemodynamics: the effects of habitual endurance exercise, age and muscle sympathetic vasomotor outflow in healthy men

Abstract

Purpose We determined the effect of habitual endurance exercise and age on aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV), augmentation pressure (AP) and systolic blood pressure (aSBP), with statistical adjustments of aPWV and AP for heart rate and aortic mean arterial pressure, when appropriate. Furthermore, we assessed whether muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) correlates with AP in young and middle-aged men. Methods Aortic PWV, AP, aortic blood pressure (applanation tonometry; SphygmoCor) and MSNA (peroneal microneurography) were recorded in 46 normotensive men who were either young or middle-aged and endurance-trained runners or recreationally active nonrunners (10 nonrunners and 13 runners within each age-group). Between-group differences and relationships between variables were assessed via ANOVA/ANCOVA and Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients, respectively. Results Adjusted aPWV and adjusted AP were similar between runners and nonrunners in both age groups (all, P > 0.05), but higher with age (all, P < 0.001), with a greater effect size for the age-related difference in AP in runners (Hedges’ g, 3.6 vs 2.6). aSBP was lower in young (P = 0.009; g = 2.6), but not middle-aged (P = 0.341; g = 1.1), runners compared to nonrunners. MSNA burst frequency did not correlate with AP in either age group (young: r = 0.00, P = 0.994; middle-aged: r = − 0.11, P = 0.604). Conclusion There is an age-dependent effect of habitual exercise on aortic haemodynamics, with lower aSBP in young runners compared to nonrunners only. Statistical adjustment of aPWV and AP markedly influenced the outcomes of this study, highlighting the importance of performing these analyses. Further, peripheral sympathetic vasomotor outflow and AP were not correlated in young or middle-aged normotensive men.

Relationships between muscle sympathetic nerve activity and novel indices of arterial stiffness using single oscillometric cuff in patients with hypertension

“…Although AI had been considered as an established index of reflected waves, the reported relationship between MSNA and AI has been inconsistent (Casey et al, 2011; Hart et al, 2013; Millar et al, 2019; Wakeham et al, 2022). One possible reason is the difference in the characteristics of the participants (e.g., young female (Casey et al, 2011), healthy or heart failure (Millar et al, 2019), athletes, (Wakeham et al, 2022)). Still, even when considering only the healthy subjects, the relationships were not entirely consistent (Casey et al, 2011; Hart et al, 2013; Millar et al, 2019; Wakeham et al, 2022).…”

“…One possible reason is the difference in the characteristics of the participants (e.g., young female (Casey et al, 2011), healthy or heart failure (Millar et al, 2019), athletes, (Wakeham et al, 2022)). Still, even when considering only the healthy subjects, the relationships were not entirely consistent (Casey et al, 2011; Hart et al, 2013; Millar et al, 2019; Wakeham et al, 2022). In a recent study, AI was affected by both cardiac and vascular properties (Heusinkveld et al, 1985).…”

Epidemiological Relationship of Photoplethysmography Signal Derived from Arterial Stiffness and Blood Pressure to Coronary Artery Disease: A Systematic Review

“…Two of them (12%) were overnight PPG analysis to analyze long-term cardiovascular events and coronary artery disease risk [25][26] . Two of them (12%) were arterial stiffness associated with metabolic syndrome and sports science [27][28] .…”

“…(2023) examined whether exercise blood pressure is influenced by arterial stiffness 28 . This is an increase in blood pressure in the aortic flow which causes aortic pulse wave velocity.…”