Key result
Age-related arterial stiffening is mainly driven by intrinsic structural stiffening, which increases faster in women than men (P<0.05), while most other clinical correlations were weak (r<0.3).
Why the study?
Arterial stiffening is attributed to intrinsic structural and load-dependent stiffening, but their respective lifetime alterations and major determinants during normal aging are not clear.
Cross-Sectional (n=3,053)
p-value: p=<0.05
Age-related arterial stiffening is primarily driven by intrinsic structural changes associated with pulse pressure, whereas load-dependent stiffness is associated with mean arterial pressure.
Distinguishes pulse pressure-linked structural from MAP-linked load-dependent stiffness; supports mechanistic research but should not alter practice yet.
BACKGROUND: The arterial stiffening is attributed to the intrinsic structural stiffening and/or load-dependent stiffening by increased blood pressure (BP). The respective lifetime alterations and major determinants of the two components with normal aging are not clear. METHODS: A total of 3053 healthy adults (1922 women) aged 18-79 years were enrolled. The carotid intima-media thickness, diameter, and local BPs were automatically determined by the radio frequency ultrasound system. The Peterson and Young elastic moduli were then calculated to represent total arterial stiffness. Structural stiffness was recalculated at a reference BP of 120/80 mmHg with established models. Load-dependent stiffness was the difference between total and structural stiffness. RESULTS: Both structural and load-dependent stiffness increased with aging, with much larger changes in the structural components. The age-related increasing rates were higher in women for the structural stiffness than men ( P < 0.05), but similar for the load-dependent stiffness. The clinical characteristics and arterial stiffness were widely correlated, but most correlations were quite weak ( r < 0.3) other than BPs. Multiple regression analyses adjusted for sex, age and other clinical correlates showed that structural stiffness increased with pulse pressure (PP) and load-dependent stiffness increased with mean arterial pressure (MAP), respectively. CONCLUSION: The age-related arterial stiffening is mainly caused by the intrinsic structural stiffening, which demonstrated significant age-sex interaction. BPs were the major clinical determinants of arterial stiffness, with PP and MAP associated with different arterial stiffness components. The differentiation of the structural and load-dependent arterial stiffness should be highlighted for the optimal vascular health management.
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Xing et al. (2024) conducted a cross-sectional in Healthy adults (n=3,053). Aging and blood pressure was evaluated on Structural and load-dependent arterial stiffness (p=<0.05). Age-related arterial stiffening is mainly driven by intrinsic structural stiffening, which increases faster in women than men (P<0.05), while most other clinical correlations were weak (r<0.3).
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