Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 23, 2026
Measuring Ascending Aortic Stiffness In Vivo in Mice Using Ultrasound
Published on: December 2, 2014
Longitudinal perspective on the conundrum of central arterial stiffness, blood pressure, and aging
Angelo Scuteri1, Christopher H Morrell1, Marco Orrù1
1From the Hospital San Raffaele Pisana-Istituto Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Sceintifico (IRCCS), Rome, Italy (A.S.); Laboratory of Cardiovascular Science, National Institute of Aging, Baltimore, MD (C.H.M., J.B.S., K.V.T., H.S., E.G.L.); Loyola University Maryland, Baltimore (C.H.M.); Istituto di Ricerca Genetica e Biomedica (IRGB), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, c/o Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy (M.O., L.A.P.F., F.L., M.G.P., A.D.); Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (M.A.); and MedStar Heart Institute, Washington, DC (S.S.N.).
Insights
Arterial stiffness (PWV) increases with age similarly in men and women. However, blood pressure (BP) changes diverge, with men showing declining BP after age 40, unlike women.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular aging research
- Biomedical gerontology
- Vascular physiology
Background:
- Age-associated arterial stiffness and blood pressure (BP) increases are linked.
- Individual changes in arterial stiffness (pulse wave velocity, PWV) and BP over time are not well understood.
- Differences in age and sex on these trajectories are largely unexamined.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the longitudinal evolution of BP and aortic PWV trajectories.
- To compare these trajectories across different ages and sexes.
- To investigate the relationship between arterial stiffness and BP changes over time.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study (>4000 participants, aged 20-100).
- 9.4-year follow-up assessing BP and aortic PWV.
- Linear mixed-effects models used for trajectory analysis.
Main Results:
- PWV accelerated over time similarly in men and women across all ages.
- Men over 40 showed plateauing/declining systolic BP (SBP) and pulse pressure (PP), with SBP declining in older age.
- Women exhibited constant rates of increase in SBP, diastolic BP, and mean BP, leading to increasing PP.
- PWV acceleration did not consistently parallel BP changes in men.
Conclusions:
- Increased aortic stiffness contributes to age-associated increases in SBP and PP.
- PWV is not a reliable surrogate for BP.
- Non-stiffness arterial properties, varying by age and sex, influence BP trajectories during aging, causing dissociation between PWV, PP, and SBP.
- Findings highlight sex-specific differences in cardiovascular aging.
- Understanding these dissociations is crucial for cardiovascular health assessment.
Abstract:
The age-associated increase in arterial stiffness has long been considered to parallel or to cause the age-associated increase in blood pressure (BP). Yet, the rates at which pulse wave velocity (PWV), a measure of arterial stiffness, and BP trajectories change over time within individuals who differ by age and sex have not been assessed and compared. This study determined the evolution of BP and aortic PWV trajectories during a 9.4-year follow-up in >4000 community-dwelling men and women of 20 to 100 years of age at entry into the SardiNIA Study. Linear mixed effects model analyses revealed that PWV accelerates with time during the observation period, at about the same rate over the entire age range in both men and women. In men, the longitudinal rate at which BP changed over time, however, did not generally parallel that of PWV acceleration: at ages>40 years the rates of change in systolic BP (SBP) and pulse pressure (PP) increase plateaued and then declined so that SBP, itself, also declined at older ages, whereas PP plateaued. In women, SBP, diastolic BP, and mean BP increased at constant rates across all ages, producing an increasing rate of increase in PP. Therefore, increased aortic stiffness is implicated in the age-associated increase in SBP and PP. These findings indicate that PWV is not a surrogate for BP and that arterial properties other than arterial wall stiffness that vary by age and sex also modulate the BP trajectories during aging and lead to the dissociation of PWV, PP, and SBP trajectories in men.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Factors affecting Blood pressure
Physiological Factors:
01:26Aging
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
01:18Hypertension and Regulation of Blood Pressure
01:29Hypertension II: Pathophysiology
01:19The Effect of Aging on Tissues
01:11Assessing Blood pressure in the Leg
Preparation: