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(Hypertension. 2009;53:846.)
© 2009 American Heart Association, Inc.

Original Articles

Plasma Oxidized Low-Density Lipoprotein Levels and Arterial Stiffness in Older Adults

The Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study

Tina E. Brinkley; Barbara J. Nicklas; Alka M. Kanaya; Suzanne Satterfield; Edward G. Lakatta; Eleanor M. Simonsick; Kim Sutton-Tyrrell; Stephen B. Kritchevsky for the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study

From the Sticht Center on Aging (T.E.B., B.J.N., S.B.K.), Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC; Department of Medicine (A.M.K.), University of California, San Francisco; Department of Preventive Medicine (S.S.), University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis; Gerontology Research Center (E.G.L., E.M.S.), National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Md; and the Department of Epidemiology (K.S.-T.), Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pa.

Correspondence to Tina E. Brinkley, Sticht Center on Aging, Department of Internal Medicine, Section on Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd, Winston-Salem, NC 27157. E-mail tbrinkle{at}wfubmc.edu

Arterial stiffness is a prominent feature of vascular aging and is strongly related to cardiovascular disease. Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL), a key player in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, may also play a role in arterial stiffening, but this relationship has not been well studied. Thus, we examined the cross-sectional association between ox-LDL and aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV), a marker of arterial stiffness, in community-dwelling older adults. Plasma ox-LDL levels and aPWV were measured in 2295 participants (mean age: 74 years; 52% female; 40% black) from the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study. Mean aPWV significantly increased across tertiles of ox-LDL (tertile 1: 869±376 cm/s; tertile 2: 901±394 cm/s; tertile 3: 938±415 cm/s; P=0.002). In multivariate analyses, ox-LDL remained associated with aPWV after adjustment for demographics and traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors (P=0.008). After further adjustment for hemoglobin A1c, abdominal visceral fat, antihypertensive and antilipemic medications, and C-reactive protein, the association with ox-LDL was attenuated but remained significant (P=0.01). Results were similar when ox-LDL was expressed in absolute (milligrams per deciliter) or relative amounts (percentage of low-density lipoprotein). Moreover, individuals in the highest ox-LDL tertile were 30% to 55% more likely to have high arterial stiffness, defined as aPWV >75th percentile (P0.02). In conclusion, we found that, among elderly persons, elevated plasma ox-LDL levels were associated with higher arterial stiffness, independent of cardiovascular disease risk factors. These data suggest that ox-LDL may be related to the pathogenesis of arterial stiffness.

Key Words: aging • epidemiology • aortic stiffness • pulse wave velocity • oxidative stress