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Introduction: Pulse wave velocity is used to diagnose central arterial stiffness (CAS) and quantify healthy vascular aging (HVA)., Objective: To evaluate the CAS and HVA in elderly patients with systemic blood pressure levels classified as optimal/normal., Methods: A total of 102 patients without comorbidities and with systolic pressure (SP) < 120 mmHg and diastolic pressure (DP) < 80 mmHg were selected from the EVOPIU database (Pulse Wave Velocity of Elderly Individuals in an Urban area of Brazil). The carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (c-fPWV) and the central and peripheral pressures were evaluated in all patients. The patients were divided into four groups: G1: (n = 19, with c-fPWV < 7.6 m/s, without medication), G2 (n = 26, c-fPWV ≥ 7.6 m/s; without medication), G3 (n = 25, c-fPWV < 7.6 m/s with antihypertensive medication), and G4 (n = 32, c-fPWV ≥ 7.6 m/s with antihypertensive medication)., Results: In our sample, 56.7% of patients had c-fPWV ≥ 7.6 m/s. The central systolic pressure in G1 [99 (10) mmHg] was lower than that found in the other three groups [vs. 112 (14) mmHg, 111 (15), 112 (20) mmHg; P < 0.05)]., Conclusion: Older people with optimal arterial blood pressure do not necessarily have HVA and could have c-fPWV values close to the limits established for CAS diagnosis.

Background: Aging increases the risk of chronic diseases, especially cardiovascular diseases, leading to changes in cardiovascular anatomy and physiology even in the absence of other comorbidities. Numerous cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs), such as diabetes mellitus (DM) and systemic arterial hypertension (SAH), can modify the functional and structural properties of large vessels, increasing arterial stiffness., Objective: To determine whether elderly patients with hypertension with DM have greater central arterial stiffness than elderly patients with SAH without DM., Methods: The Study of Pulse Wave Velocity in the Elderly in an Urban Area in Brazil (EVOPIU) included 1,192 patients aged ≥ 60 years who underwent applanation tonometry (AT) to evaluate carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV). From this database, 1,133 patients were selected from 6 groups: NDN (nondiabetic normotensives; n: 127); DN (diabetic normotensives; n: 64); NDCH (nondiabetic controlled hypertensives; n: 168); DCH (diabetic controlled hypertensives; n: 275); NDH (nondiabetic hypertensives; n: 217) and DH (diabetic hypertensives; n: 282). All groups underwent AT to obtain cfPWV and central and peripheral arterial pressures., Results: The pulse wave velocities found were as follows: NDN vs DN (8.9 ± 0.2 m/s vs 9.4 ± 0.2; P = .103); NDCH vs DCH (9.0 ± 0.2 m/s vs. 9.6 ± 0.1 m/s; P=  .04) and NDH vs DH (9.2 ± 0.1 m/s vs. 9.6 ± 0.1 m/s; P=  .045). When the diabetic groups were compared, there were no differences in cfPWV values, and the same occurred when the nondiabetic groups were compared., Conclusions: Elderly patients with diabetes and hypertension have greater central arterial stiffness than patients without diabetes and hypertension, regardless of systemic blood pressure control. The central arterial stiffness caused by vascular aging seems to be a common factor among all the studied groups.

Data on arterial stiffness in older populations, according to blood pressure (BP) levels, are scarce in Brazil. The objective of this study was to establish reference values for core measures of arterial stiffness, including carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV) and aortic augmentation index (AIx), in a cohort of older individuals with normotension (NT) and hypertension. Cross-sectional analysis was performed with applanation tonometry data from 1192 patients aged 60 years or older. The authors classified patients according to their BP levels as having NT, controlled hypertension (CH), and uncontrolled hypertension (UH). The cf-PWV values were 9.11 ± 0.16 m/s (NT), 9.12 ± 0.18 m/s (CH), and 9.42 ± 2.2 m/s (UH) (P < 0.005; UH vs NT and CH). The AIx was 33.3% for the entire cohort and similar across all groups. The cf-PWV increased with age but reached a ceiling at 75 years. Compared with men, women had a higher AIx but similar cf-PWV levels. In conclusion, the markers of arterial stiffness were similar among individuals with NT/CH and higher among individuals with UH., (©2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background/aims: Elderly patients with normal systemic arterial blood pressure associated with femoral carotid pulse velocity (cf-PWV) less than 7.6 m/s and without associated comorbidities are considered to have good vascular health. The aim of the current study was to verify the probability that elderly patients with good vascular health have at least one blood pressure measurement above the different thresholds for systolic blood pressure (120, 130 and 140 mmHg) during two years of follow-up., Methods: We selected 72 normotensive patients (< 140/90 mmHg) without comorbidities and divided them into group A, with cf-PWV < 7.6 m/s (n = 27; 65 ± 4 years), and group B, with cf-PWV ≥ 7.6 m/s (n = 45; 66± 8 years). These patients were followed for two years and were observed in 3 outpatient visits (0, 12 and 24 months). At each visit, the brachial pressures were indirectly measured in triplicate, and applanation tonometry was performed., Results: When group A and group B were compared, the odds ratio (OR) of having a systolic pressure measurement ≥ 140 mmHg in two years of follow-up was 0.22 (P < 0.0001); ≥ 130 mmHg, the OR was 0.49 (P < 0.0007), and ≥ 120 mmHg, the OR was 0.54 (P < 0.001). Group A and group B showed increased values of cf-PWV during the two years of follow-up (P < 0.05). Changes in the average systolic brachial pressure were not significant during the two years in groups A or B., Conclusion: Vascular health in elderly individuals seems to protect against occasional elevations in systemic arterial pressure., (© 2018 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.)