Clusters of vascular aging manifestations predict incident cardiovascular events in the community

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Vascular Biology
• Gerontology

Background:

• Vascular aging involves progressive changes in vessel function and structure.
• Single vascular aging signs link to increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.
• Clustering of vascular aging manifestations and associated CVD risk remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify distinct patterns of vascular aging at the individual level.
• To determine if different vascular aging patterns correlate with varying risks of developing overt CVD.
• To assess the predictive value of identified vascular aging patterns for CVD events.

Main Methods:

• Utilized non-invasive carotid ultrasound to evaluate vascular aging.
• Analyzed data from two large prospective cohorts (8360 and 2086 participants).
• Identified three distinct vascular aging patterns: healthy vascular aging (HVA), arteriosclerosis, and atherosclerosis.

Main Results:

• Arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis patterns independently predict CVD risk compared to HVA.
• These vascular aging patterns enhance CVD risk stratification, particularly for stroke in intermediate-risk individuals.
• Vascular aging assessment can identify individuals at elevated CVD risk.

Conclusions:

• Distinct vascular aging patterns exist and have differential impacts on CVD risk.
• Carotid ultrasound-based vascular aging evaluation is a valuable tool for CVD risk assessment.
• Identifying specific vascular aging clusters improves cardiovascular risk stratification and management strategies.