Effect of age on aortic atherosclerosis

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Imaging and Diagnostics
• Geriatric Medicine
• Vascular Biology

Background:

• Atherosclerosis is a significant contributor to cardiovascular disease, particularly in aging populations.
• Understanding atherosclerosis burden in asymptomatic elderly individuals is crucial for risk stratification.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers a non-invasive method to assess vascular wall characteristics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the association of atherosclerosis burden in the descending thoracic aorta of asymptomatic elderly individuals.
• To investigate the relationship between aortic atherosclerotic wall burden and traditional coronary risk factors, including age.
• To assess aortic atherosclerotic wall burden using MRI-derived metrics.

Main Methods:

• Cardiac and descending thoracic aorta imaging using MRI in 312 asymptomatic elderly participants.
• Measurement of maximum and mean aortic wall thickness.
• Calculation of normalized wall index (NWI) and percent wall volume (PWV) to standardize for artery size.

Main Results:

• Mean PWV was 32% ± 4% in the asymptomatic elderly cohort (mean age 76 years).
• Women exhibited significantly higher PWV than men after adjusting for artery size (P = 0.03).
• Older age correlated with larger aortic wall area (P = 0.04 for trend), but not PWV. No significant associations were found with traditional risk factors, metabolic syndrome, or lipid/hypertension therapies.

Conclusions:

• Asymptomatic elderly individuals in this cohort demonstrated increased descending thoracic aortic wall volume correlated with age, with higher PWV in women.
• Aortic atherosclerotic wall burden was not significantly associated with traditional risk factors or coronary/aortic calcium scores.
• Age or unidentified factors may drive atherosclerosis progression in this population.