Key result
Higher life-course systolic blood pressure is linked to ~20% greater myocardial fibrosis per 10 mmHg.
Why the study?
The impact of life-course blood pressure trajectories on later-life focal left ventricular fibrosis by late gadolinium enhancement remains elusive.
Do higher life-course blood pressure trajectories and cumulative burden increase the risk of focal myocardial fibrosis in older age?
Cohort (n=472)
Do higher life-course blood pressure trajectories and cumulative burden increase the risk of focal myocardial fibrosis in older age?
Higher cumulative burden and steeper increases in life-course systolic blood pressure are associated with greater focal myocardial fibrosis in later life, which correlates with an increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Higher life-course BP burden was associated with reduced perfusion mediating LGE fibrosis; leaves open whether trajectory-guided control alters CMR outcomes in older adults.
BACKGROUND: The impact of life-course blood pressure (BP) trajectories on later-life focal left ventricular (LV) fibrosis by late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) remains elusive. METHODS: MyoFit46 prospectively recruited ≈500 participants from a 1946 birth cohort for a cardiovascular magnetic resonance scan at 77 years, assessing LV LGE calculated using the 3-SD method or 5-SD method. Systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP were recorded at 36, 43, 53, 63, 69, and 77 years. For each participant, annual rates of BP change (steepness) and area under the BP trajectory (cumulative burden) for each age interval were calculated using mixed-effects models. Associations between life-course BPs and LGE were tested using generalized linear models, adjusted for antihypertensives, demographics, lifestyle, and comorbidities. Time-to-event associations between LGE and incident major adverse cardiovascular event (hospitalizations for coronary artery disease, stroke, heart failure, and atrial/ventricular arrhythmias; n=29) were also evaluated. RESULTS: Among 472 participants (54% male), each 10 mm Hg greater individual SBPs at 36 to 69 years were associated with 6% to 11% greater LV LGE calculated using the 3-SD method (all P ≤0.033), whereas each 10 mm Hg sustained greater SBPs on any age interval from 36 to 69 associated with 16% to 24% greater LGE calculated using the 3-SD method at 77(all P ≤0.005), independent of SBP at 77 years. Each 1 mm Hg/y steeper SBP rise during age intervals 36 to 43, 43 to 53, and 53 to 63 was associated with 6% to 12% greater LGE calculated using the 3-SD method at 77 years. LGE presence was associated with greater major adverse cardiovascular event rates (hazard ratio, 2.5 [95% CI, 1.2–5.2]). CONCLUSIONS: Higher life-course BPs, cumulative burden, and steeper increases were associated with greater older-age LV LGE, which was linked to incident major adverse cardiovascular events. BP trajectories, beyond single-point BP measurements, warrant further investigation as tools to guide BP management strategies.
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Topriceanu et al. (2026) conducted a cohort in Focal myocardial fibrosis and cardiovascular risk (n=472). Higher life-course blood pressure trajectories vs. Lower life-course blood pressure trajectories was evaluated on Left ventricular late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) at 77 years (16% to 24% greater LGE per 10 mm Hg greater sustained SBP, p=≤0.005). Higher life-course systolic blood pressure was associated with greater left ventricular focal fibrosis at age 77, which increased incident cardiovascular event risk.
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