Age estimation based on a combined arteriosclerotic index.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Gerontology
• Pathology

Background:

• Arteriosclerosis, a common aging condition, involves arterial enlargement and loss of elasticity.
• Existing methods for assessing arterial changes can be complex or invasive.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and validate a novel metric, the combined arteriosclerotic index (CAI), for age estimation.
• To assess the correlation between CAI and chronological age in human abdominal aortas.

Main Methods:

• CAI was defined as the ratio of arterial diameter to longitudinal prestrain.
• Measurements were taken from 255 human abdominal aortas (61 female, 194 male) during autopsy.
• Linear regression analysis was used to model age estimation based on CAI.

Main Results:

• CAI showed a significant correlation with chronological age in both sexes (R = 0.916–0.921).
• The CAI model provided age estimations with a residual standard deviation of 6.3–7.6 years.
• Significant sex-based differences in arterial aging were observed via CAI, unlike longitudinal prestrain alone.

Conclusions:

• The combined arteriosclerotic index (CAI) is a reliable and easily obtainable predictor of age at death.
• CAI offers a valuable tool for forensic and clinical age assessment in autopsy settings.