PS-C04-2: LONGITUDINAL CONSTANCY OF VASCULAR AGEING PHENOTYPES AND FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PHENOTYPE CONSTANCY OVER TIME

Abstract

Background: The concept of two phenotypes of vascular aging, healthy vascular aging (HVA) and early vascular aging (EVA) has been proposed. Objectives: To examine the: (1) constancy of these phenotypes over time; (2) validity of assuming that a constantly maintained phenotype reflects the rate of structural arterial stiffening; and (3) longitudinal associations between the vascular phenotypes and cardiovascular risk factors/heart rate (HR). Methods: The brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) was measured annually over a 16-year period in 4682 middle-aged Japanese subjects. The vascular phenotypes of 4682 middle-aged Japanese subjects were measured at the start and end of a 16-year study period, by measuring the arterial stiffness as a function of the age and blood pressure. Results: Of 4682 subjects, 158 (3.4%) showed constancy of the HVA phenotype, and 192 (4.1%) subjects showed constancy of the EVA phenotype throughout the study periods. The baPWV adjusted for the mean blood pressure differed significantly between the two groups. Elevated mean blood pressure, serum HbA1c levels and HR were significantly associated with constancy of the EVA phenotype, whereas only a low HR was significantly associated with constancy of the HVA phenotype. Conclusions: In middle-aged Japanese subjects with the HVA/EVA phenotype at the study baseline, while the phenotype changed during the study period in many subjects, phenotype constancy appeared to reflect the rate of structural arterial stiffening. Elevated blood pressure and abnormal glucose metabolism were associated with constancy of the EVA phenotype. On the other hand, HR was a robust marker of the presence/constancy of the HVA/EVA phenotype.