Cardiovascular risk factors and thoracic aortic wall thickness in a general population

To evaluate the association of cardiovascular risk factors with wall thickness of the ascending and descending thoracic aorta in the general population.

The study included 1,176 individuals (523 women) 21-83 years old from the Study of Health in Pomerania without history of stroke or myocardial infarction. Aortic wall thickness (AWT) was determined by cine magnetic resonance imaging. The associations of AWT with the cardiovascular risk factors male sex, age, smoking, body mass index (BMI), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, hemoglobin A1c, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides were assessed by multivariable linear regression models, and interaction effects were tested.

Male sex (β = .086, P < .001), age (β = .006, P < .001), and BMI (β = .013, P < .001) were positively associated with the AWT of the ascending aorta. Male sex (β = .105, P < .001), age (β = .006, P < .001), current smoker (β = .044, P = .010), BMI (β = .013, P < .001), and HDL-C (β = .057, P = .008) revealed a positive association with AWT of the descending aorta. LDL-C (β = -.024, P = .009; β = -.018, P = .010) was inversely associated with the AWT of the ascending and descending aorta, respectively. Triglyceride levels (β = .024, P = .027; β = .018, P = .024) showed a positive association with the AWT of the ascending and descending aorta, respectively, in men, but not in women.

Established cardiovascular risk factors, including male sex, older age, smoking, high BMI, and high triglyceride levels, were associated with increasing thoracic AWT of the ascending and descending aorta. High HDL-C and low LDL-C levels were correlated with AWT.