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Biological aortic age derived from the arterial pressure waveform
Shigeki Shibata1, Benjamin D Levine
1Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine, Dallas, Texas 75231, USA. ShigekiShibata@TexasHealth.org
Journal of Applied Physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985)
|February 5, 2011
Summary
The new Modelflow aortic age index offers a reliable, pressure-independent measure of arterial stiffness. This method accurately reflects aging and exercise effects on aortic stiffness, unlike older pressure-dependent indexes.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Physiology
- Biomedical Engineering
- Gerontology
Background:
- Arterial stiffness indexes are typically influenced by ambient blood pressure.
- Arterial compliance is non-linear, complicating pressure-dependent stiffness measurements.
- A pressure-independent index is needed for accurate assessment of aortic stiffness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To validate the novel "Modelflow aortic age" as a pressure-independent index for human aortic stiffness.
- To compare the reliability of Modelflow aortic age with existing pressure-dependent stiffness indexes.
- To assess the impact of aging and exercise on aortic stiffness using the Modelflow aortic age.
Main Methods:
- Recruitment of three groups: sedentary elderly, Masters athletes, and sedentary young adults.
- Measurement of aortic stiffness using the Modelflow aortic age and traditional indexes.
- Application of lower body negative pressure to assess index reliability during cardiac unloading.
Main Results:
- Modelflow aortic ages closely matched chronological ages in sedentary individuals.
- Masters athletes exhibited significantly younger Modelflow aortic ages compared to their chronological ages.
- Modelflow aortic age demonstrated a lower coefficient of variation (21%) and typical error (<7%) than pressure-dependent indexes (e.g., 61%, >13%).
Conclusions:
- The Modelflow aortic age is a precise and reliable index for assessing aortic stiffening.
- This pressure-independent index accurately reflects aging and exercise training effects on aortic stiffness.
- Modelflow aortic age provides a clinically relevant biological context for arterial stiffness measurements.
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