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[Individual arterial pressure variability in newborn infants, adults, and the elderly]
A Colosimo1, G Guarini, E Menghetti
1Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia, Cattedra di Medicina Interna, Università degli Studi di Roma, La Sapienza.
Insights
Blood pressure variability decreases with age, indicating reduced cardiovascular flexibility. This study observed lower standard deviations in blood pressure among older adults compared to newborns and middle-aged individuals.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Physiology
- Gerontology
- Biomedical Engineering
Context:
- Cardiovascular function exhibits significant interindividual variability, which is known to change with age.
- Understanding age-related changes in blood pressure variability is crucial for assessing cardiovascular health.
- Previous research has highlighted the dynamic nature of cardiovascular regulation across the lifespan.
Purpose:
- To investigate spontaneous blood pressure variability in distinct age groups: newborns, middle-aged adults, and elderly individuals.
- To analyze how systolic and diastolic blood pressure variability changes with advancing age.
- To assess the functional flexibility of the cardiovascular system across different life stages.
Summary:
- This study monitored blood pressure (BP) in three groups of healthy subjects (newborns, 30-40 years, 70-80 years).
- Data revealed an age-related increase in average systolic and diastolic BP, accompanied by a decrease in their standard deviations.
- The observed reduction in BP variability suggests decreased cardiovascular functional flexibility with age.
Impact:
- Highlights an age-dependent decline in the cardiovascular system's ability to adapt.
- Provides preliminary data suggesting reduced functional flexibility in older adults.
- Emphasizes the need for larger studies to confirm these findings on blood pressure variability and aging.
Abstract:
The complexity of the cardiovascular function is related to a wide interindividual variability (VA) that changes with age. The aim of our study was to investigate the spontaneous blood pressure (BP) VA in 3 groups of 20 healthy subjects (S) each, 10 M and 10 F: Group I newborns 24 hours old; Group II 30-40 yrs; Group III 70-80 yrs. Each S underwent BP monitoring in a comfortable condition for 15'. Our data show an increase, with age, of both the average systolic and diastolic BP, paralleled by a simultaneous decrease of their standard deviations. Furthermore, the three distributions show a reasonably gaussian behaviour (maximum absolute value of the skewness was 0.21). These results emphasize the age-dependent reduction in functional flexibility of the cardiovascular system. A major pool of subjects is required to confirm our preliminary data.