Key result
Higher youth BMI, SBP, and glucose trajectories link to greater adult carotid FCWI in males.
Why the study?
Carotid artery pulse wave characteristics predict cognitive decline and cerebrovascular health, prompting investigation into which childhood, adolescent, and early adulthood risk factor trajectories are associated with common carotid artery forward compression wave intensity at age 28 years.
Are higher early-life trajectories of body mass index, systolic blood pressure, and fasting blood glucose from ages 8 to 20 years associated with greater carotid forward compression wave intensity at age 28 years?
Cohort (n=402)
No
Are higher early-life trajectories of body mass index, systolic blood pressure, and fasting blood glucose from ages 8 to 20 years associated with greater carotid forward compression wave intensity at age 28 years?
Consistently elevated BMI, systolic blood pressure, and fasting blood glucose from childhood through early adulthood predict higher carotid forward compression wave intensity at age 28 in males, supporting early-life cardiovascular risk factor modification to potentially mitigate future cerebrovascular and cognitive decline.
Intro Characteristics of the pulse wave transmitted through the carotid arteries are predictive of cognitive decline and cerebrovascular health in humans. This study aimed to identify risk factor trajectories in childhood, adolescence and early adulthood that are associated with forward compression wave intensity (FCWI) in the common carotid artery in adults aged 28 years. Methods Systolic blood pressure (SBP), body mass index (BMI) and fasting blood glucose (FBG) measured at multiple time-points when participants were aged between 8-20 years were included in a trajectory analysis. At age 28 years, FCWI was measured in 402 (M=206, F=196) participants who underwent a Duplex ultrasound assessment of the common carotid artery. Statistical analysis assessed differences in FCWI between each trajectory group for males and females separately. Results In males, four trajectory groups were identified for BMI, three for SBP, and two for FBG. In females, three trajectory groups were identified for BMI, SBP, and FG. In males, having higher BMI ( P =0.006), SBP ( P =0.021) and FBG ( P =0.002) from ages 8-20 years was associated with greater FCWI at age 28 years. In females, no associations were found between FCWI at age 28-years and trajectory groups for BMI ( P =0.185), SBP ( P =0.289) or FBG ( P =0.070). Conclusion Having high BMI, SBP and FBG throughout childhood, adolescence and early adulthood was associated with higher FCWI in the carotid artery at age 28 years in males, but not females. This may have a direct impact on the etiology of cognitive decline and cerebrovascular disease in later life.
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Haynes et al. (2026) conducted a cohort in Cerebrovascular hemodynamic stress (carotid forward compression wave intensity) (n=402). Higher childhood-to-early-adulthood trajectories of BMI, systolic blood pressure, and fasting blood glucose vs. Lower healthy trajectories of BMI, systolic blood pressure, and fasting blood glucose was evaluated on Forward compression wave intensity (FCWI) in the common carotid artery at age 28 years (p=0.006 for BMI, 0.021 for SBP, 0.002 for FBG in males). Higher trajectories of BMI (P=0.006), SBP (P=0.021), and fasting glucose (P=0.002) from ages 8-20 years were associated with greater carotid FCWI at age 28 in males, but not females.
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