title: Pulse wave velocity distribution in a cohort study: from arterial stiffness to early vascular aging.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  By contrast with other southern European people, north Portuguese population registers an especially high prevalence of hypertension and stroke incidence. We designed a cohort study to identify individuals presenting accelerated and premature arterial aging in the Portuguese population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pulse wave velocity (PWV) was measured in randomly sampled population dwellers aged 18-96 years from northern Portugal, and used as a marker of early vascular aging (EVA). Of the 3038 individuals enrolled, 2542 completed the evaluation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean PWV value for the entire population was 8.4  m/s (men: 8.6  m/s; women: 8.2  m/s; P < 0.02). The individuals were classified with EVA if their PWV was at least 97.5th percentile of z-score for mean PWV values adjusted for age (using normal European reference values as comparators). The overall prevalence of EVA was 12.5%; 26.1% of individuals below 30 years presented this feature and 40.2% of individuals in that same age strata were placed above the 90th percentile of PWV; and 18.7% of the population exhibited PWV values above 10  m/s, with male predominance (17.2% of men aged 40-49 years had PWV > 10  m/s). Logistic regression models indicated gender differences concerning the risk of developing large artery damage, with women having the same odds of PWV above 10  m/s 10 years later than men.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The population PWV values were higher than expected in a low cardiovascular risk area (Portugal). High prevalence rates of EVA and noteworthy large artery damage in young ages were found.
authors.affiliation: aDepartment of Internal Medicine, Center for the Research and Treatment of Arterial Hypertension and Cardiovascular Risk, Guimarães - Centro Hospitalar do Alto Ave bLife and Health Science Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Science, University of Minho, Guimarães cICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães dEPI Unit eInstituto de Saúde Pública, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar da, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal fDepartment of Pharmacology and INSERM U970, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France gDepartment of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Skane University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden hSan Raffaele Pisana IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Pedro G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Cunha
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cotter
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Vila
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Boutouyrie
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Laurent
authors.forename: Peter M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Nilsson
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scuteri
authors.forename: Nuno
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sousa
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D001158:Arteries / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011174:Portugal / Q000453:epidemiology; D063177:Pulse Wave Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D059289:Vascular Stiffness / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult