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The blood pressure and heart rate chronome of centenarians
O Ikonomov1, G Stoynev, G Cornélissen
1Medical Academy, Sofia, Bulgaria.
Insights
Healthy centenarians show altered blood pressure rhythms, with less prominent daily cycles and more high-frequency patterns compared to younger individuals. These changes may indicate aging-related desynchronization.
Area of Science:
- Chronobiology
- Gerontology
- Cardiovascular Physiology
Background:
- Aging is associated with changes in physiological rhythms.
- Understanding blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) rhythm characteristics in centenarians is crucial for assessing aging processes.
- Previous studies have not extensively compared chronobiologic profiles of centenarians and younger adults.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the rhythm characteristics of blood pressure and heart rate between healthy centenarians and medical students.
- To identify potential chronobiologic markers of primary aging.
Main Methods:
- Ambulatory monitoring of BP and HR at 15-min intervals for 48 hours in 11 centenarians and 66 medical students.
- Analysis of rhythm characteristics using least-squares spectra (cosinor analysis).
- Comparison with international databases to rule out geographic confounding.
Main Results:
- Centenarians exhibited a shift in BP rhythm prominence from the circadian domain to higher frequency harmonics, unlike their HR.
- BP and HR circadian amplitudes were relatively low in centenarians.
- A tendency toward internal and external desynchronization was observed in centenarians.
Conclusions:
- Chronobiologic changes in centenarians include reduced circadian BP and HR amplitude and desynchronization.
- These findings provide reference standards for future outcome studies on aging.
- Further research is needed to determine the desirability of these age-related chronobiologic shifts.
Abstract:
Rhythm characteristics of blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (Hr) of 11 healthy centenarians and 66 medical students are described. Each subject ambulatorily monitored measured BP and HR around the clock at 15-min intervals for 48 hours. Least-squares spectra were obtained by the fit of cosine curves (cosinor) and compared between the two populations. Confounding by geographic differences seems to be ruled out by comparisons with results from international data bases. A shift in prominence from the circadian domain to higher frequency harmonics was found for the BP but not for the HR of centenarians. In clinically mostly healthy centenarians, markers of primary aging may consist of a relatively low circadian BP and HR amplitude and a tendency toward internal and external desynchronization. Whether these chronobiologic changes with age are desirable, indifferent or undesirable can now be elucidated by outcome studies, in the light of the reference standards provided herein.