title: Arterial stiffness is increased in asthmatic children.
abstract: Altered arterial stiffness is a recognized risk factor of poor cardiovascular health. Chronic inflammation may increase arterial stiffness. We tested whether arterial stiffness is increased children with asthma, a chronic disease characterized by fluctuating airway and systemic inflammation. Arterial stiffness, expressed as carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWVcf), was measured in 37 mild-to-moderate asthmatic children: 11 girls, median (range) age 11.1 years (6-15). PWVcf in asthma was compared to PWVcf in 65 healthy controls matched for age, height, and gender previously studied in Germany and was correlated with airway inflammation and obstruction. PWVcf was higher in asthmatic children compared to controls: PWVcf median (interquartile range) was 4.7 m/s (4.5-4.9) vs. 4.3 m/s (4.1-4.7), p < 0.0001. In asthmatic children, PWVcf was inversely associated (r (2) = 0.20, p = 0.004) with forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1). This association remained significant after adjusting for possible confounders including body mass index, blood pressure, steroid use, and FeNO.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Arterial stiffness is increased in children with mild-to-moderate asthma. The association between impaired lung function and increased arterial stiffness suggests that severity of disease translates into detrimental effects on the cardiovascular system.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Nephrology, Department of Pediatrics, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, and University of Bern, 3010, Bern, Switzerland, markustimosteinmann@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Steinmann
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Abbas
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Singer
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Casaulta
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Regamey
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Haffner
authors.forename: Dagmar-Christiane
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: Giacomo D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Simonetti
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000503:physiopathology; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation; D008297:Male; D063177:Pulse Wave Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013147:Spirometry; D059289:Vascular Stiffness