title: Lung age is related to carotid structural alterations in hypertensive subjects.
abstract: Hypertensive patients exhibit higher cardiovascular risk and reduced lung function compared with the general population. Whether this association stems from the coexistence of two highly prevalent diseases or from direct or indirect links of pathophysiological mechanisms is presently unclear. This study investigated the association between lung function and carotid features in non-smoking hypertensive subjects with supposed normal lung function. Hypertensive patients (n = 67) were cross-sectionally evaluated by clinical, hemodynamic, laboratory, and carotid ultrasound analysis. Forced vital capacity, forced expired volume in 1 second and in 6 seconds, and lung age were estimated by spirometry. Subjects with ventilatory abnormalities according to current guidelines were excluded. Regression analysis adjusted for age and prior smoking history showed that lung age and the percentage of predicted spirometric parameters associated with common carotid intima-media thickness, diameter, and stiffness. Further analyses, adjusted for additional potential confounders, revealed that lung age was the spirometric parameter exhibiting the most significant regression coefficients with carotid features. Conversely, plasma C-reactive protein and matrix-metalloproteinases-2/9 levels did not influence this relationship. The present findings point toward lung age as a potential marker of vascular remodeling and indicate that lung and vascular remodeling might share common pathophysiological mechanisms in hypertensive subjects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, State University of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Tatiana A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Kiyota
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, State University of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paulo R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Mendes
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, State University of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: José A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Cipolli
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, State University of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schreiber
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, State University of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Layde R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Paim
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, State University of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Vera R
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Bellinazzi
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, State University of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: José R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Matos-Souza
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, State University of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Andrei C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Sposito
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, State University of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address: wilnj@fcm.unicamp.br.
authors.forename: Wilson
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Nadruz
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008168:Lung / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
keywords: Carotid; lung age; spirometry; systemic hypertension