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(Hypertension. 1999;34:889-892.)
© 1999 American Heart Association, Inc.
Scientific Contributions |
The Aging Process Modifies the Distensibility of Elastic but not Muscular Arteries
From the Department of Internal Medicine and INSERM U337 (L.A.B., O.H., G.F., X.G.), the Department of Pharmacology and INSERM U337 (P.B.), Broussais Hospital, and the Fondation Nationale de Gérontologie (S.L.), Paris, France.
Correspondence to Xavier Girerd, Hôpital Broussais, Service de Médecine Interne, 96 Rue Didot, 75674 Paris, Cedex 14, France. E-mail girerd{at}hbroussais.fr
Abstract—Aging decreases the distensibility of large elastic arteries; however, the effects of age on the functional parameters of muscular, medium-sized arteries are not well determined. This study evaluated the consequences of aging on the functional parameters of the carotid and radial arteries in normotensive men. A total of 62 elderly subjects (aged 74±2 years) were compared with 87 young subjects (aged 35±3 years). Internal diameter and intima-media thickness (IMT) were measured by a high-resolution echo-tracking system to calculate distensibility and incremental elastic modulus (Einc). Although in the normal range, systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels were statistically different in the 2 groups at 128±19 and 74±13 mm Hg versus 121±27 and 71±18 mm Hg in the young and elderly subjects, respectively (P<0.05). At the carotid artery level, elderly subjects exhibited a greater IMT (742±144 versus 469±132 µm; P<0.01) and internal diameter (7067±828 versus 6062±1026 µm; P<0.01) than young subjects; elderly subjects also had lower distensibility (12±2 versus 21±2 kPa-1 · 10-3; P<0.01) and higher Einc (0.9±0.2 versus 0.7±0.3 kPa · 103; P<0.01). At the radial artery level, both IMT (240±42 versus 218±51 µm; P<0.01) and internal diameter (2685±432 versus 2491±444 µm; P<0.01) were greater in elderly subjects, but no differences in distensibility and Einc were observed between the 2 groups. All differences remained significant, even after adjusting for mean blood pressure. These results indicate that the increase of the internal diameter and IMT observed during the aging process can have opposite effects on the functional parameters of large elastic or medium-sized muscular arteries.
Key Words: aging • carotid arteries • radial artery
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