Brazilian Men Research Articles

Becoming White in a White Supremacist State: The Public and Psychological Wages of Whiteness for Undocumented 1.5-Generation Brazilians

This study draws on in-depth and longitudinal interviews with twenty-nine 1.5-generation Brazilian immigrants, all of whom can pass as white and experienced illegality in young adulthood. I argue that they benefit from what W.E.B. Du Bois calls “the public and psychological wages of whiteness”. That is, white and white-passing, undocumented 1.5-generation Brazilian men and women can largely navigate public space without being stopped, questioned, arrested, detained and/or deported. Additionally, they benefit psychologically—as they gain confidence due to perceived whiteness, even as their immigration status would render them vulnerable to exploitation in the labor market and deportation. These public and psychological wages of whiteness can facilitate social and material gains. I argue that there are three mechanisms by which they experience the wages of whiteness. First, whiteness brings assumed innocence. Second, white racial solidarity with other whites facilitates opportunities and protection. Third, some 1.5-generation Brazilians actively construct whiteness to accrue the public and psychological wages. These findings challenge the master status perspective of illegality and underscore the importance of an intersectional framework for understanding immigrants’ varied experiences with illegality, bringing to light the quotidian, gendered practices and identities that sustain the structures of white supremacy.

Impact of postmenopausal vaginal discomfort on sex and relationships in Brazil: the CLOSER survey

Objective The CLOSER (CLarifying Vaginal Atrophy’s Impact On SEx and Relationships) survey investigated how postmenopausal vaginal atrophy (VA) affects relationships between Brazilian women and male partners. Methods Postmenopausal women (age 55–65 years) with VA, and male partners of women with the condition, completed an online survey on the impact of VA and local estrogen treatment on intimacy and relationships. Results A total of 360 women and 352 men from Brazil were included. Women (83%) and men (91%) reported that they were comfortable discussing VA with their partners. Women’s key source of information on VA was health-care providers (HCPs), but 44% felt that not enough information is available. VA caused 70% of women to avoid sexual intimacy and resulted in less satisfying sex. VA had a negative impact on women’s feelings and self-esteem. Women (76%) and men (70%) both reported that treatment with vaginal estrogen improved their sexual relationship, primarily by alleviating women’s pain during sex. Women (56%) and men (59%) felt closer to each other after treatment. Conclusions VA had a negative impact on sexual relationships for both women and men in Brazil, and reduced women’s self-confidence. Vaginal hormone therapy improved couples’ sexual relationships. A proactive attitude of HCPs is essential to educate women on VA and the potential benefits of treatment.

Incidence of thyroid diseases: Results from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil).

To evaluate incidence of subclinical and overt hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. The Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil) is a prospective cohort study of 15,105 civil servants, examined at baseline and over a 4-year follow-up. This analysis included 9,705 participants with normal thyroid function at baseline, follow-up information about thyroid function and with no report of using drugs that may interfere in the thyroid function. Thyroid function was defined by TSH/FT4 levels or routine use of thyroid hormones/anti-thyroid medications. Annual and cumulative (over 4-year) incidence rates were presented as percentages (95% Confidence Intervals). The incidence of all overt and subclinical thyroid disease was 6.7% (1.73%/year): 0.19% for overt hyperthyroidism (0.048%/year), 0.54% for subclinical hyperthyroidism (0.14%/year), 1.98% for overt hypothyroidism (0.51%/year), and 3.99% for subclinical hypothyroidism (1.03%/year). The incidence of all thyroid diseases was higher in women, when compared to men, with a low women:men ratio (1.36). For Blacks the highest incidence was for overt hyperthyroidism, while for Whites, the highest incidence was for overt hypothyroidism. However, the highest incidence of overt hyperthyroidism was detected in Asian descendants. The presence of antithyroperoxidase antibodies at baseline was associated with higher incidence of overt thyroid diseases. These results showed a high incidence of hypothyroidism, which is compatible with a country with a more-than-adequate iodine intake. The low women:men ratio of the incidence of thyroid dysfunction highlights the importance of the diagnosis of thyroid diseases among men in Brazil.

Stability in the production and transport of 177Lu labelled PSMA

The prostate cancer is the second most prevalent disease among men in Brazil, moreover PSMA therapy could change this scenario and its perspectives. IPEN-CNEN is the Brazilian industrial radiopharmacy center that produces radiopharmaceuticals for therapy. The production of 177Lu-PSMA-617 was evaluated in batches until 37 GBq and showed that the combination of ascorbate buffer, adequate radioactive concentration and freezing promoted the stability of the radiopharmaceutical for 48 hours, enabling transport of 177Lu-PSMA-617 to distant regions of the country.

Robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy with preceptor's assistance: the training experience and outcomes in South America.

Prostate cancer is currently the second leading cause of cancer deaths in Brazilian men. In 2020, sixty-five thousand new prostate cancer cases were expected in Brazil, and almost 30% of these patients are estimated to be from the northeast region. However, from 75 robotic platforms available in the country, only one is accessible in the state of Ceará since 2015. This study reports the intraoperative, functional, and oncological outcomes of patients who underwent radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer performed by robotic surgeons during a training period supervised by a proctor. We also compared these results with the literature reporting the experience of different Brazilian centers. We retrospectively analyzed prospectively collected data of 58 initial cases of robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy at a private Brazilian hospital in Fortaleza, Ceará. The surgeries were performed by two robotic surgeons during the training period under proctor supervision. We reported the epidemiological and intraoperative data, complications, pathological report, functional and oncological outcomes. The median operative time was 180min. None of the patients needed conversion or blood transfusion. The pathology report described 21.81% of positive surgical margins (16.27% of all pT2 and 45.45% of all pT3 patients). The median follow-up was 40months. Biochemical recurrence occurred in 21.73%, continence in 92%, and potency in 79.54%. No major complications (Clavien grades III-V) were reported. In our experience, robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy performed by surgeons training with proctor's assistance is feasible and safe. The operative time, complication rates, functional and oncological outcomes were satisfactory and compatible with the literature.

Examination of the factorial model of a scale developed to assess body satisfaction in the Brazilian context: a study with people 18 to 40years old.

Confirmatory factor analysis was employed to investigate an instrument developed to assess body satisfaction of Brazilian women and men and to identify participants' body satisfaction level. Brazilian young adults completed the Body Satisfaction Situational Scale and a sociodemographic questionnaire. A total of 1481 individuals (female = 1035; male = 446) aged between 18 and 40years old participated in the study. Factorial, convergent and discriminant validity and reliability were evaluated. An invariance test was performed across sexes using multi-group analysis. The prevalence of body satisfaction among participants was calculated using the final models of the instrument. The complete model of the scale (23 items and four factors) was invariant across sexes, but it did not fit the samples even after refinement. Therefore, a theoretical investigation of the scale content was performed based on literature. Thus, a reduced model composed of two factors and ten items was found for each sex. These models showed good validity and reliability to independent samples. About prevalence, most of the women were not at all satisfied with body fat and most of the men were slightly satisfied with body musculature. Further, women and men were moderately satisfied with their face, hair, and skin. A reduced model of the instrument for women and another for men showed adequate indices of construct validity and reliability to samples. The most participants were not very satisfied with their bodies. The results can be useful to develop protocols aiming to promote body satisfaction. Level V, descriptive cross-sectional study.

High rates of unprotected receptive anal sex and vulnerabilities to HIV infection among Brazilian men who have sex with men

This study aimed to evaluate unprotected receptive anal sex intercourse (URAI) rates and vulnerabilities to HIV infection among men who have sex with men (MSM) that use geosocial networking dating apps in Brazil. An online, analytical, cross-sectional study was carried out with 2,250 MSM. The analyzed variables were grouped according to domains of vulnerability and analyzed by bi and multivariate statistics to calculate the Adjusted Odds Ratios (aOR). The prevalence of self-reported HIV was 7.1%; and of URAI, 23.4%. The studied variables that increased the chances of engaging in URAI were: identifying as homosexual (aOR = 8.30; 95%CI = 5.68:12.04), pansexual (aOR = 5.01; 95%CI = 2.04:12.38), or bisexual (aOR = 3.14; 95%CI = 2.03:4.80), using apps for obtaining sex (aOR = 1.3; 95%CI = 1.0:1.5), engaging in group sex (aOR = 1.6; 95%CI = 1.3:2.0), and reporting chemsex (aOR = 1.5; 95%CI = 1.1:2.0). Self-reported positive HIV status was associated with: less than a minimum wage income (aOR = 1.78; 95%CI = 1.22:2.58), lower education (aOR = 1.86; 95%CI = 1.31 CI; 2,64), not knowing the partner's HIV status (aOR = 1.84; 95%CI = 1.06:3.19), practicing group sex (aOR = 1.67; 95%CI = 1.04; 2.68), and chemsex (aOR = 2.03; 95%CI =1.06:3.19). The applications interaction is shaped by their own users to better meet their desires and needs. However, this behavior exposes individuals to HIV vulnerabilities.

The relative age effect on soccer goalkeeper training in brazil: scenarios of the male and female elites

ABSTRACT In Brazil, soccer championships for children and adolescents are generally organized and divided into categories by age group (usually every two years), with the aim of bringing about greater balance and fairness in the competition. Although they create a certain scenario in which performance capabilities are similar among participants, such division, on the other hand, enables and sustains some conditions that provide unequal learning opportunities. Coupled with socio-cultural and pedagogical issues, it structures a phenomenon called Relative Age Effect (RAE). The objective of this study was to analyze the occurrence of RAE among male and female goalkeepers that competed in the A series of the 2018 Brazilian men’s and women’s soccer championships. Information about the athletes’ birth dates was collected from the official website of the Brazilian Football Confederation. The male group was composed of 68 goalkeepers within a population of 73 individuals, while the female group was composed of 39 of totals of 43 goalkeepers. For statistical analyses, the chi-square test was used. Results reveal that the RAE does not happen in this population, regardless of gender. This may be due to the goalkeeper position in soccer teams being less contested. It is concluded that, for both males and females, date of birth does not seem to influence the offer of opportunities for goalkeepers to reach the elite of Brazilian soccer.

Involvement in nongovernmental organizations and participation in HIV/AIDS prevention by men who have sex with men in Brazil

A epidemia do HIV no Brasil é concentrada em populações-chave. Organizações não governamentais (ONGs) que atuam em defesa dos direitos da população LGBT e de pessoas vivendo com HIV/aids podem contribuir para o desenvolvimento de políticas de prevenção. O objetivo deste estudo é avaliar o envolvimento em ONGs e analisar sua associação com a participação individual em ações de educação em saúde, testagem e prevenção às infecções sexualmente transmissíveis (IST) e ao HIV, como parte de um estudo nacional de vigilância biológica e comportamental entre homens que fazem sexo com homens (HSH). Trata-se de estudo transversal utilizando respondent driven sampling (RDS) em 12 cidades brasileiras. A magnitude da associação do envolvimento em ONGs com cada ação foi avaliada pela estimativa de odds ratio por meio de regressão logística por amostragem complexa, considerando cada cidade como um estrato e ponderando pelo estimador de Gile. Foi estimada a proporção relativa atribuída ao envolvimento em ONGs para cada evento avaliado. Dentre 4.176 participantes, a maioria tinha menos de 25 anos (56,5%) e baixo nível econômico (56,7%). Um quarto dos HSH referiu se envolver em ONGs, que foi significativamente associado com as ações avaliadas: receber preservativo e gel lubrificante, participar de palestra, receber material educativo e aconselhamento em IST, conhecimento de profilaxia pós-exposição (PEP) e profilaxia pré-exposição (PrEP), testagem para sífilis e HIV, ter aceitação do autoteste e saber onde realizar teste para HIV. ONGs têm um papel histórico na resposta à epidemia de HIV no Brasil e, apesar de terem sofrido significativa redução de recursos nos últimos anos, mantêm relevante atuação nas ações de saúde pública.

Men, masculinity and the new coronavirus: sharing gender issues in the first phase of the pandemic.

This article presents reflections on masculinity and the social construction of gender - based on the global phenomenon of the new coronavirus pandemic - produced by researchers who are part of the national research team on comprehensive health care policy for men in Brazil. From a gender-based standpoint, the article contends that it is necessary to note that cis heteronormative male socialization is guided by three core issues: 1) the submission to practices of care of self and others; 2) the rejection of preventive health practices, due to a distorted matrix of risk perception (and a certain sense of "invulnerability"); 3) the domestic dynamics marked by postures of command, order, and honor. These dimensions of everyday life were profoundly upset in this first phase of the epidemic, in which confinement became the most recommended alternative. These issues are configured as recurring (though not recent) repertoires that glorify the central model of a male order that needs to become an object of reflection, insofar as they endanger the health of men and women and, more broadly, of the status quo of the accepted tenets of domestic and social order.

Coping strategies, concerns, and habits of Brazilian men in the COVID-19 context

To describe coping strategies, concerns and habits of Brazilian men during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cross-sectional, descriptive and nationwide study, carried out in 2020 with a total of 1015 men living in Brazil. A descriptive statistic was used. Young (41.2%), black (61.4%), highly educated (66.8%), high income (33.2%), living with family/friends (49.7%) and formal workers (65.6%) predominated. As coping strategies predominated: exclusive use of the private health system (36.4%), support from family/friends (78.2%) and leisure (97.7%) and domestic activities (64.9 %). Social distancing (59.7%), economic (58.0%) and work situations (44.4%) were the main reasons for concern. Among the prevention/control attitudes, hand washing (94.3%) and social distancing (91.0%) prevailed. Media consumption (84.6%) and health risk (65.4%) were the main increased habits. Brazilian men adopted coping strategies recommended by health authorities, with concerns and habits of potential risk to physical and mental health.

Dissonance-based eating disorder prevention delivered in-person after an online training: A randomized controlled trial for Brazilian men with body dissatisfaction.

Few prevention programs have been developed and empirically evaluated to address eating disorder (ED) and muscle dysmorphia (MD) symptoms in men. Furthermore, new strategies for the broad implementation of available programs are needed. We investigated the acceptability and efficacy of a dissonance-based (DB) intervention for Brazilian undergraduate men with body dissatisfaction to target risk and protective factors for ED and MD symptoms (the Body Project: More Than Muscles) after an online training for facilitators. Participants were randomized to a two-session DB-intervention (n = 89) or assessment-only control (AOC) (n = 91), and completed validated measures assessing ED and MD risk and protective factors pre-intervention, post-intervention, and at 4- and 24-week follow-up post-intervention. Acceptability ratings were highly favorable. Regarding efficacy, the DB condition demonstrated significantly greater decreases in ED and MD risk factors compared to AOC from pre-intervention to 4-week (p-values <.05, between-condition Cohen's d = 0.35-1.10) and 24-week follow-up (p-values <.05, between-condition Cohen's d = 0.33-0.78). Results at post-intervention were not significant, with the exception that body appreciation showed significantly greater improvements in the DB condition (post-intervention: p < .01, between-condition Cohen's d = 0.40; 4-week: p < .001, between-condition Cohen's d = 0.80; and 24-week follow-up: p < .001, between-condition Cohen's d = 0.58). Results support the acceptability and efficacy of a DB-intervention delivered in-person after an online training for facilitators up to 24-week follow-up in Brazilian men.

Epidemiological and Molecular Characteristics of HIV-1 Infection in a Sample of Men Who Have Sex With Men in Brazil: Phylogeography of Major Subtype B and F1 Transmission Clusters.

This study describes human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) prevalence, associated factors, viral genetic diversity, transmitted drug resistance (TDR), and acquired drug resistance mutations (DRM) among a population of 522 men who have sex with men (MSM) recruited by the respondent-driven sampling (RDS) method, in Goiânia city, the capital of the State of Goiás, Central-Western Brazil. All serum samples were tested using a four-generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and reactive samples were confirmed by immunoblotting. Plasma RNA or proviral DNA was extracted, and partial polymerase (pol) gene including the protease/reverse transcriptase (PR/RT) region was amplified and sequenced. HIV-1 subtypes were identified by phylogenetic inference and by bootscan analysis. The time and location of the ancestral strains that originated the transmission clusters were estimated by a Bayesian phylogeographic approach. TDR and DRM were identified using the Stanford databases. Overall, HIV-1 prevalence was 17.6% (95% CI: 12.6–23.5). Self-declared black skin color, receptive anal intercourse, sex with drug user partner, and history of sexually transmitted infections were factors associated with HIV-1 infection. Of 105 HIV-1-positive samples, 78 (74.3%) were sequenced and subtyped as B (65.4%), F1 (20.5%), C (3.8%), and BF1 (10.3%). Most HIV-1 subtype B sequences (67%; 34 out of 51) branched within 12 monophyletic clusters of variable sizes, which probably arose in the State of Goiás between the 1980s and 2010s. Most subtype F1 sequences (n = 14, 88%) branched in a single monophyletic cluster that probably arose in Goiás around the late 1990s. Among 78 samples sequenced, three were from patients under antiretroviral therapy (ART); two presented DRM. Among 75 ART-naïve patients, TDR was identified in 13 (17.3%; CI 95%: 9.6–27.8). Resistance mutations to non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI) predominated (14.7%), followed by nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) mutations (5.3%) and protease inhibitor (PI) mutations (1.3%). This study shows a high prevalence of HIV-1 associated with sexual risk behaviors, high rate of TDR, and high genetic diversity driven by the local expansion of different subtype B and F1 strains. These findings can contribute to the understanding about the dissemination and epidemiological and molecular characteristics of HIV-1 among the population of MSM living away from the epicenter of epidemics in Brazil.

The loss and recovery of the guató language

O guató é uma língua indígena seriamente ameaçada cujo povo habita o Pantanal desde tempos imemoriais. Para entender como se deu a obsolescência desta língua, apresentamos três processos que levaram à desestruturação da família guató: o celibato masculino, o casamento feminino com neobrasileiros e o apadrinhamento/apropriação de crianças por fazendeiros. Para tanto, relatamos e comentamos entrevistas dadas por Guatós sobre como a língua deixou de ser utilizada em suas famílias. Como o povo guató apresentava um padrão de assentamento dispersivo e uma atomização de famílias, estes três processos (concomitantes e que afetaram de formas específicas diferentes famílias) contribuíram para a degradação dos liames que sustentavam o idioma guató. Junto com determinantes sociais e demográficos que não analisamos mais detidamente – como epidemias, desproteção econômica e falta de identificação oficial – a desestruturação familiar levou ao fim do antigo modo guató de habitar o Pantanal e de sua língua, que agora sobrevive como memória de alguns idosos e, de maneira mais restrita, no ambiente escolar e em tentativas de revitalização.

From soccer to futsal: Brazilian elite level men players’ career pathways

ABSTRACT Many Brazilian boys dream of a professional soccer career. During adolescence, however, many players move into futsal, a popular, less professionalized counterpart to soccer. To study players’ investment in a futsal career, this article aimed to understand how childhood socialization relates to players’ career development; to reconstruct the pathways players developed to become elite futsal athletes; and to identify reasons that led players to move from soccer to futsal. Semi-structured interviews with 18 Brazilian national team futsal players provided data. Bourdieu’s Theory of Social Fields helped to understand players’ investment in futsal. The results show that players experienced a fruitful social context and familial socialization that facilitated ‘ball-kicking capitals’; developed a habitus that better matched the futsal than the soccer subfield; and delegitimized soccer as a suitable environment to participate in. We conclude with critical implications for futsal and soccer stakeholders aiming to maintain/create attractive career environments in times of increasing professionalism.

Psychometric properties of the Muscle Dysmorphic Disorder Inventory among physically active Brazilian college men.

A literatura cientifica conta com um grande corpo de conhecimento sobre a dismorfia muscular, especialmente em homens fisiculturistas e levantadores de peso. No entanto, revisoes sistematicas e metanalises indicam limitacoes em varios estudos em que a dismorfia muscular nao foi avaliada por instrumentos validos e confiaveis. Por exemplo, em alguns estudos, pesquisadores utilizaram instrumentos de medidas de avaliacao da busca pela muscularidade, mas essas medidas nao avaliam os sintomas da dismorfia muscular. O presente estudo avaliou a validade fatorial, convergente e concorrente, bem como a confiabilidade do Muscle Dysmorphic Disorder Inventory (MDDI) quando aplicado a um total de 351 homens brasileiros fisicamente ativos. O resultado da analise fatorial confirmatoria sustenta a estrutura original formada por tres fatores (13 itens) do MDDI para homens brasileiros. Os escores do MDDI apresentaram uma associacao significativa e forte com medidas de atitudes corporais, associacao moderada com a insatisfacao corporal masculina e busca pela muscularidade. Observou-se associacao fraca e significativa entre os escores do MDDI e os sintomas depressivos e o comprometimento psicologico com o exercicio fisico. O instrumento indicou consistencia interna e confiabilidade teste-reteste (duas semanas) adequadas. A versao brasileira do MDDI apresentou propriedades psicometricas adequadas entre homens fisicamente ativos.

High-Risk Sexual Behavior, Binge Drinking and Use of Stimulants are Key Experiences on the Pathway to High Perceived HIV Risk Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Brazil.

In Brazil, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is currently available for gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. As PrEP use depends on an individual's perceived risk, we explored pathways by which potentially modifiable behaviors lead to high perceived HIV risk. Using online surveys (N = 16,667), we conducted a path analysis on the basis of ordered sequences of multivariate logistic regressions. High perceived HIV risk was low (26.3%) compared to condomless receptive anal sex (41.4%). While younger age increased the odds of binge drinking and of condomless receptive anal sex, it was associated with decreased odds of high perceived HIV risk. In contrast, use of stimulants increased the odds of condomless receptive anal sex and of high perceived HIV risk. Our results suggest that binge drinking and use of stimulants are key points in different pathways to high-risk sexual behavior and may lead to different perceptions of HIV risk.

Sex-seeking mobile application use and risk behavior among men who have sex with men in Brazil.

This is a cross-sectional study based on an open web survey with the primary objective to assess associations between the use of apps for seeking sex partners and vulnerabilities related to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) acquisition among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Brazil. Participants were recruited to the study through ads posted in social media such as Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp. Consenting respondents completed a questionnaire on demographics, history of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and risk behaviors and perceptions, including calculation of the Risk Behavior Score for HIV infection proposed by Rocha etal. Among the 859 participants, 714 (83.1%) reported they used apps for seeking sex partners. Use of apps for seeking sex partners was associated with high-risk behavior for HIV infection, self-reported syphilis, self-perception of HIV risk, and use of marijuana. The use of apps for seeking sex partners has rapidly become the norm for MSM in Brazil. The associations with STIs and risk behaviors should be seen as an opening to improve public health, presenting opportunities to promote knowledge, safer sex practices, and referral to HIV/STI screening and prevention interventions.

Serum concentrations of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) before and after the treatment in patients with prostate cancer

Introdução: O câncer de próstata é a segunda neoplasia mais prevalente no sexo masculino no Brasil. Para homens com histórico familiar de câncer de próstata a prevenção é recomendada a partir de 45 anos e para os demais, a partir dos 65 anos para os demais. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar os níveis séricos de antígeno prostático específico (PSA) em pacientes diagnosticados com câncer de próstata antes e após o tratamento. Metodologia: Trata-se de um estudo descritivo, transversal e retrospectivo de abordagem quantitativa onde foram analisados pacientes diagnosticados com câncer de próstata no município de Parnaíba, Piauí, Brasil. Resultados: Foram incluídos 29 pacientes, com média de idade de 76,6 anos. De acordo com os resultados da dosagem do PSA antes (PSA1) e após (PSA2) o tratamento, 19 (65,5%) pacientes demonstraram queda nos valores de PSA2. O tratamento cirúrgico foi necessário em nove (31%) pacientes. A radioterapia foi realizada em 23 (79,3%) pacientes e seis (20,7%) estavam realizando tratamento com hormonioterapia. Nenhum paciente foi submetido a quimioterapia. Conclusão: Os resultados do presente estudo demonstraram quedas nos valores de PSA após o tratamento para câncer de próstata. Entretanto, é necessário propagar o conhecimento e conscientizar a população masculina sobre a importância da detecção precoce para que se tenha sucesso no prognóstico e aumente a procura dos homens pelos serviços de saúde e prevenção.

Arterial stiffness in black adults from Angola and Brazil.

Ethnicity is an important determinant of blood pressure levels, being black individuals affected more than any other ethnic group. Arterial stiffening, an independent risk factor for hypertension, is also influenced by ethnicity. However, whether black individuals from different continents would have different patterns of arterial stiffening is still unknown. Thus, the authors aimed to compare pulse wave velocity (PWV) in black subjects living in Angola and Brazil. A total of 677 black individuals from two independent cross-sectional studies conducted in Brazil and Angola were included in this analysis. Carotid-to-femoral PWV was measured following the same protocols for both studies, as well as clinical and anthropometric variables. Adjusted PWV was higher in Brazilian blacks than in Angolans, regardless of sex (men from Brazil: 10.7±1.8 vs men from Angola: 9.9±1.8m/s, P<.001; women from Brazil: 10.3±1.5 vs women from Angola: 9.2±1.3m/s, P<.001). Although the cf-PWV was higher in Brazilian blacks, the age-related increase in cf-PWV was higher in Angolan men compared to Brazilians, but not in women. SBP showed the strongest association with cf-PWV, regardless of sex and country. However, age was associated with cf-PWV in all groups, except in Brazilian men. Our results clearly show a difference in PWV between two black populations, and highlight for sex differences in the hemodynamic parameters that might affect blood pressure levels in these populations.