Determinants of Vascular Age: An Epidemiological Perspective

Abstract

Background: Vascular age is an emerging health indicator and predictor of end-organ damage to the heart, brain, and kidney. Although there have been many review publications concerning risk factors for vascular aging, most include cross-sectional epidemiological studies, limiting inferences about temporality. There is a need for a review of longitudinal epidemiological studies with repeat measures of vascular structure and function to allow for a systematic examination of determinants of vascular age and the association of vascular aging with outcomes. Content: Arterial stiffness is the most frequently used measure of vascular aging. We report here results of an extensive literature review of longitudinal cohort studies with repeat measures of arterial stiffness to characterize determinants of vascular age. Additionally, we summarize population-based studies which have focused on the association of arterial stiffness with end-organ damage and adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Summary: Changes in arterial stiffness are evident in early childhood. In adults, arterial stiffness has been observed to progress at the average rate of 0.2–0.7 meters per second for every five years of life. The state of the science is limited by the small number of studies with repeat measures of arterial stiffness and determinants of arterial stiffness progression, as well as limited studies in children and diverse race/ethnic groups. Several extant studies suggest that beyond age, cardiometabolic risk factors and adverse lifestyle behaviors contribute to arterial stiffening. Arterial stiffness is therefore, important in the assessment of healthy vascular aging and a possible target for the prevention of subclinical and clinical disease.

Endothelium function dependence of acute changes in pulse wave velocity and flow-mediated slowing

“…In the current study, we did see a 5.0 mmHg increase in MAP. MAP is a known determinant of PWV 11 and could have driven the PWV response. Stewart et al 16 infused l -NMMA into a small ( n = 8) sample of men and found that carotid–femoral PWV increased by 0.7 m/s.…”

“… 5 – 9 PWV, which is the speed at which the forward pressure wave travels from a proximal to distal arterial segment, is considered the ‘gold-standard’ measure of arterial stiffness. 10 , 11 However, the assessment of PWV during reactive hyperemia can also be used to reflect endothelial function. 12 – 16 According to the Moens–Korteweg equation, PWV is directly proportional to the arterial wall width and Young’s modulus, and inversely proportional to blood viscosity and vessel diameter.…”

Maladaptive neuropathological syndrome of blood vessel aging

“…Известно, что с течением времени наблюдается неуклонное повышение артериальной жесткости со средней скоростью движения крови от 0,2 до 0,7 м/с. Следовательно, артериальная жесткость очень важна для оценки старения сосудов [61].…”

Cardio-ankle vascular index is associated with diabetic retinopathy in younger than 70 years patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

“…Increased arterial stiffness, a predictor of cardiovascular risk, has also been recently associated with DR in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) [2,3]. Arterial stiffness, which is principally affected by age and blood pressure, is the most frequently used measure of vascular aging [4,5]. A number of methods are utilized to assess arterial stiffness, among them the most recognized and established index is the pulse wave velocity (PWV) [6].…”