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Acute systemic inflammation increases arterial stiffness and decreases wave reflections in healthy individuals

Charalambos Vlachopoulos1, Ioanna Dima, Konstantinos Aznaouridis

  • 1First Department of Cardiology, Athens Medical School, Hippokration Hospital, Athens, Greece. cvlachop@otenet.gr

Circulation
|September 28, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Acute systemic inflammation significantly increases aortic stiffness and alters wave reflections. Aspirin pretreatment prevented these effects, suggesting anti-inflammatory therapies may mitigate cardiovascular risk associated with inflammation.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Physiology
  • Inflammation Research
  • Vascular Biology

Background:

  • Aortic stiffness is a key marker and predictor of cardiovascular disease.
  • The direct causal link between inflammation and arterial stiffness remains under-investigated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To establish a cause-and-effect relationship between acute systemic inflammation and aortic stiffness.
  • To investigate the impact of inflammation on arterial wave reflections.

Main Methods:

  • A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study involving 100 healthy individuals.
  • Salmonella typhi vaccination was used to induce acute systemic inflammation.
  • Pulse wave velocity and augmentation index were measured to assess aortic stiffness and wave reflections.
  • The effect of aspirin pretreatment on these inflammatory responses was evaluated.

Main Results:

  • Vaccination significantly increased pulse wave velocity, indicating greater aortic stiffness.
  • Vaccination reduced wave reflections, associated with peripheral vasodilation.
  • Inflammatory markers (hs-CRP, hs-IL-6, MMP-9) significantly increased post-vaccination.
  • Aspirin pretreatment abolished the vaccination-induced changes in pulse wave velocity and augmentation index.

Conclusions:

  • This study demonstrates a direct causal link between acute systemic inflammation and increased large-artery stiffness.
  • Inflammation also affects arterial wave reflections, with implications for cardiovascular function.
  • Findings suggest potential therapeutic benefits of anti-inflammatory interventions for managing cardiovascular risk.
Abstract

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