Sex Differences in Age-Related Stiffening of the Aorta in Subjects With Type 2 Diabetes

• Published in: Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. 1979) Tex. 1979), 2004-07, Vol.44 (1), p.67-71
• Main Authors: De Angelis, Lorenita, Millasseau, Sandrine C, Smith, Andrew, Viberti, GianCarlo, Jones, Richard H, Ritter, James M, Chowienczyk, Philip J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Antihypertensive agents; Aorta - physiopathology; Arterial hypertension. Arterial hypotension; Associated diseases and complications; Biological and medical sciences; Blood and lymphatic vessels; Blood Flow Velocity; Blood Pressure - physiology; Cardiology. Vascular system; Cardiovascular system; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - physiopathology; Diabetes. Impaired glucose tolerance; Elasticity; Endocrine pancreas. Apud cells (diseases); Endocrinopathies; Female; Humans; Hypertension; Male; Matched-Pair Analysis; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Sex Characteristics; Vascular Resistance
• ISSN: 0194-911X; 1524-4563
• DOI: 10.1161/01.HYP.0000130482.81883.fd

Hypertension and type 2 diabetes are associated with increased aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV), a measure of aortic stiffness and a powerful risk factor for cardiovascular events. The association of hypertension with type 2 diabetes may obscure the degree to which diabetes rather than hypertension contributes to an elevated PWV. The objective of this study was to determine whether the presence of type 2 diabetes is associated with an elevated PWV compared with nondiabetic subjects matched for mean arterial blood pressure. PWV was determined by measuring carotid to femoral transit time using applanation tonometry in 186 subjects (104 women) with (n=93) and without (n=93) type 2 diabetes. Diabetic and nondiabetic subjects were matched for age and mean arterial pressure (to ±5 years and 5 mm Hg, respectively). PWV was strongly correlated with age and mean arterial blood pressure (R=0.59 and 0.29 respectively, each P