title: The impact of age and risk factors on carotid and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Segmental carotid-femoral pulse-wave velocity (PWV) is a gold standard method for arterial stiffness assessment; recently, a local carotid PWV measurement by ultrasound has been developed. The present study compared the impact of age and established risk factors on carotid and carotid-femoral PWV.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three hundred and seven volunteers (167 men; age from 15 to 78 years) free of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, antihypertensive and lipid-lowering treatment underwent sequential measurement of carotid and carotid-femoral PWV.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the entire study population, both carotid and carotid-femoral PWV were independently associated mainly with age and blood pressure. In individuals more than 50 years old (N = 132, 80 men), carotid-femoral PWV, but not carotid PWV, was also associated with high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol and fasting glucose. The annual increase in carotid and carotid-femoral PWV was similar (0.087 ± 0.004 and 0.090 ± 0.005  m/s, respectively; P = 0.69). Carotid PWV increased with age more rapidly in women than in men (0.099 ± 0.005 vs. 0.076 ± 0.005  m/s per year, P < 0.005), whereas carotid-femoral PWV showed a steeper increase in individuals more than 50 years old than individuals aged 50 years or less (0.150 ± 0.019 vs. 0.088 ± 0.007  m/s per year, P = 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In apparently healthy population, both carotid and carotid-femoral PWV were influenced above all by age and blood pressure. Other established cardiovascular risk factors had a limited impact only on carotid-femoral PWV of older individuals. The age-related increase in carotid and carotid-femoral PWV seemed to follow different patterns; increase in carotid PWV showed age-sex interaction, being steeper in women, whereas increase in carotid-femoral PWV was more prominent in older individuals.
authors.affiliation: aDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa bEsaote SpA, Genova cDepartment of Surgical, Medical, Molecular and Critical Care Pathology dDepartment of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies, University of Pisa, Pisa eHealth Science Department, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Michaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kozakova
authors.forename: Carmela
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Morizzo
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Guarino
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Federico
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miccoli
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Giannattasio
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Palombo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D063177:Pulse Wave Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D059289:Vascular Stiffness; D055815:Young Adult