We aimed to investigate age and gender differences in arterial stiffness, and whether this cardiovascular risk factor was detectable in healthy Caucasians before established disease was manifest.
A growing number of risk factors including diabetes, obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, smoking and age have been linked to the adverse cardiovascular end-points of myocardial infarction, stroke and heart failure. These risk factors lead to an increase in arterial stiffness. Measuring this stiffness at an early age may identify candidates for primary preventative intervention strategies by nurses.
Caucasian Canadians (n = 176) were recruited. Peripheral and central blood pressure, pulse pressure, augmentation pressure, arterial compliance (augmentation index and pulse wave velocity) and sub-endocardial viability ratio (SEVR), were assessed using applanation tonometry (SphygmoCor system). Blood was drawn for fasting lipid and glucose profiling.
Women participants had significantly stiffer arteries than men (augmentation index: 28 SEM = 1% vs. 18 SEM = 2% respectively; p