Peripheral pulse pressure is a significantly better predictor of white matter integrity and white matter hyperintensities than arterial stiffness index measured by plethysmography in adults under 75 years old.
Cross-Sectional (n=17,984)
Yes
Does peripheral pulse pressure or arterial stiffness index better predict white matter integrity on MRI in older adults?
Peripheral pulse pressure is a superior predictor of white matter integrity compared to photoplethysmography-derived arterial stiffness index in adults under 75, suggesting ASI should not be used to estimate cerebrovascular integrity in this population.
p-value: p=<0.001
Background: Alzheimer's disease and dementia in general constitute one of the major public health problems of the 21st century. Research in arterial stiffness and pulse pressure (PP) play an important role in the quest to reduce the risk of developing dementia through controlling modifiable risk factors. Objective: The aim of the study is to investigate the association between peripheral PP, arterial stiffness index (ASI) and brain integrity, and to discover if ASI is a better predictor of white matter integrity than peripheral PP. Materials and Methods: 17,984 participants 63.09 ± 7.31 from the UK Biobank were used for this study. ASI was estimated using infrared light (photoplethysmography) and peripheral PP was calculated by subtracting the diastolic from the systolic brachial blood pressure value. Measure of fractional anisotropy (FA) was obtained from diffusion imaging to estimate white matter microstructural integrity. White matter hyperintensities were segmented from the combined T1 and T2-weighted FLAIR images as a measure of irreversible white matter damage. Results: An important finding is that peripheral PP better predicts white matter integrity when compared to ASI. This finding is consistent until 75 years old. Interestingly, no significant relationship is found between either peripheral PP or ASI and white matter integrity after 75 years old. Conclusion: These results suggest that ASI from plethysmography should not be used to estimate cerebrovascular integrity in older adults and further question the relationship between arterial stiffness, blood pressure, and white matter damage after the age of 75 years old.
Badji et al. (Tue,) conducted a cross-sectional in Vascular aging and white matter integrity (n=17,984). Peripheral pulse pressure (PP) and Arterial Stiffness Index (ASI) was evaluated on White matter integrity (fractional anisotropy of the corpus callosum and white matter hyperintensities volume) (p=<0.001). Peripheral pulse pressure is a significantly better predictor of white matter integrity and white matter hyperintensities than arterial stiffness index measured by plethysmography in adults under 75 years old.