Sex affects vascular responses to acute inflammation in older adults (852.2)

Abstract

Aging results in increased arterial stiffness and blood pressure (BP) in both sexes and is associated with chronic, low‐grade inflammation that appears to affect cardiovascular function to a greater extent in men versus women. Acute inflammation, found during co‐morbidities common in aging, also disrupts cardiovascular homeostasis. Our purpose was to determine whether sex affects vascular responses to acute inflammation in older adults. Inflammation was induced in 25 healthy older adults (m=9, f=16) with an influenza vaccine. Central BP, augmentation index controlled for heart rate (AIx@75), serum C‐reactive protein (CRP), and central pulse wave velocity (cPWV) were measured before and 24 and 48hr post‐vaccination. Post‐vaccination, the cohort increased CRP and reduced cMAP (from90±2 to 86±2 to 87±2 mmHg; p<0.05). Men maintained while women decreased AIx@75 (from 20±3 to 24±5 to 25±2% in men and from 32±2 to 31±1 28±2% in women; p<0.05 for interaction) and the interaction for cPWV controlled for MAP, (from 0.08±0.008 to 0.10±0.006 to 0.09±0.004 in men and from 0.08±0.005 to 0.08±0.006 to 0.09±0.007 m/s/mmHg in women) approached significance, p=0.057. These data indicate that there are sex differences in arterial responses to acute inflammation, and this may result in differing risks for cardiac events during acute inflammation between sexes.