title: The effect of age and other atherosclerotic risk factors on carotid artery blood velocity in individuals ranging from young adults to centenarians.
abstract: To evaluate the effect of age and other risk factors for atherosclerosis on arterial blood velocity, carotid arteries in 179 healthy individuals ranging from 21 to 102 years old were examined using color Doppler ultrasonography. Velocity in common and internal carotid arteries decreased consecutively from young adults to very elderly people except for peak internal carotid artery velocity. Peak common carotid artery velocity in the elderly (> or = 65 years old) people was inversely associated with age and diastolic blood pressure and directly associated with pulse pressure. Minimum velocity of common carotid artery was inversely correlated with age and diastolic blood pressure in the elderly people. In elderly group, peak internal carotid artery velocity correlated only with serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Minimum internal carotid artery velocity correlated inversely with systolic blood pressure in adults and diastolic blood pressure in elderly people. Blood velocity in the very elderly population approaches the critical level for thrombogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, Environmental and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan. s-homma@sc.itc.keio.ac.jp
authors.forename: Satoki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Homma
authors.forename: Gregory D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Sloop
authors.forename: Arthur W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Zieske
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002343:Carotid Artery, Internal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D012044:Regression Analysis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL