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Updated: Jul 9, 2026
06:08
Pulse Wave Velocity Testing in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging
Published on: February 7, 2014
Cumulative community-level lead exposure and pulse pressure: the normative aging study
Todd Perlstein1, Jennifer Weuve, Joel Schwartz
1Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. tperlstein@partners.org
Environmental Health Perspectives
|December 19, 2007
Summary
Cumulative lead exposure, measured in bone, is linked to higher pulse pressure in men, suggesting lead contributes to arterial aging and increased cardiovascular risk.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Cardiovascular Science
- Toxicology
Background:
- Pulse pressure naturally rises with age due to arterial stiffening in industrialized nations.
- Lead accumulation in blood vessels is linked to oxidative stress, potentially causing vascular damage.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between cumulative lead exposure and pulse pressure in adult men.
- To determine if community-level lead exposure, assessed via K-X-ray fluorescence, correlates with pulse pressure.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional analysis of 593 men not on antihypertensive medication.
- Tibia lead levels measured using K-X-ray fluorescence.
- Statistical adjustments for multiple confounding factors including age, race, diabetes, and lifestyle variables.
Main Results:
- Tibia lead levels showed a significant positive association with pulse pressure (p < 0.001).
- Increasing quintiles of tibia lead remained associated with higher pulse pressure after adjusting for confounders (ptrend = 0.02).
- Men with tibia lead above the median had 4.2 mmHg higher pulse pressure compared to those below the median; blood lead showed no association.
Conclusions:
- Lead accumulation may contribute to the age-related increase in pulse pressure seen in industrialized societies.
- Lead exposure could play a role in arterial aging and potentially explain the link between low-level lead exposure and cardiovascular mortality.
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