Abstract
Background and aims: Aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV), an early indicator of arterial stiffness, predicts cardiovascular mortality risk in adults. Since children with kidney disease have a high risk for cardiovascular mortality later in life, early detection of advanced arterial stiffening would be important. In childhood, aPWV has not been investigated in larger cohorts. The aim of this study was to provide normal values and to prove the suspected increase with age.
Methods: Pulse waves were captured by oscillometry simultaneously on the right carotid and femoral artery (Vicorder) in 405 healthy school children aged 6 to 18 years. In addition, we measured intima-media thickness (IMT) and elasticity on both carotid arteries by B- and M-Mode ultrasound.
Results: aPWV significantly increased with age. 6-8 year olds (n=97): 4.2±0.4 m/s; 9-11 year olds (n=135): 4.5±0.4 m/s; 12-14 year olds (n=97): 4.9±0.5 m/s; 15-18 year olds (n=76): 5.2±0.5 m/s (p< 0.0001). aPWV significantly correlated with age (r=0.63, p< 0.0001). Further significant correlations: weight, height, mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure. aPWV did not correlate with IMT, but significantly with elasticity parameters: incremental elastic modulus (r=0.43, p< 0.0001), distensibility coefficient (r=-0.42, p< 0.0001). Independent predictors for aPWV in multiple regression analysis were: age, gender, diastolic blood pressure and elasticity parameters.
Conclusions: This study defines normal values for aPWV in children and adolescents using a new non-invasive oscillometric method. Even in healthy young individuals we detected correlations to cardiovascular risk factors. Interestingly, a connection of aPWV to functional parameters of arterial elasticity was observed.
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Kracht, D., Doyon, A., Jacobi, C. et al. 16 Normal Values for Arterial Stiffness in a Large Cohort of Healthy Children and Adolescents. Pediatr Res 68 (Suppl 1), 11 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-201011001-00016
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-201011001-00016