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Large artery stiffness and carotid intima-media thickness in relation to markers of calcium and bone mineral metabolism in African women older than 46 years

Journal of Human Hypertension volume 29, pages 152–158 (2015)Cite this article

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Abstract

Vascular calcification and cardiovascular diseases have been associated with altered bone metabolism. We explored the relationships of arterial pressures and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) with parathyroid hormone, 25-hydroxycholecalciferol and their ratio (PTH:25(OH)D3) as well as a marker of bone resorption (CTX) in lean and overweight/obese African women. A population of 434 African women older than 46 years was divided into lean and overweight/obese groups. We assessed brachial blood pressure, central pulse pressure (cPP) and CIMT, and determined PTH, 25(OH)D3 and CTX concentrations. Overweight/obese women had elevated PTH and PTH:25(OH)D3 compared with lean women (both P<0.001), whereas lean women had higher CTX (P<0.001). Single, partial and multiple regression analyses indicated that, in lean women CIMT was independently associated with PTH:25(OH)D3 (R2=0.22; β=0.26; P=0.003), whereas in obese women cPP was associated with both PTH:25(OH)D3 (R2=0.20; β=0.17; P=0.017) and CTX (R2=0.20; β=0.17; P=0.025). In conclusion, we found that in African women with increased adiposity, cPP (as a surrogate measure of arterial stiffness), was positively associated with alterations in bone metabolism and calciotropic hormones, whereas CIMT of lean women was positively associated with PTH:25(OH)D3. Our results suggest that alterations in bone and calcium metabolism may contribute to arterial calcification in older African women.

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Acknowledgements

We are thankful towards the PURE study participants, postgraduate students and all staff members for their contribution to the success of this study, and particularly: (1) PURE South Africa: the research team, fieldworkers and office staff in the Africa Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research Team and the Hypertension in Africa Research Team, Faculty of Health sciences, North-West University, South Africa. (2) PURE International: Dr Yusuf and the PURE project office staff at the Population Health Research Institute, Hamilton Health Sciences and McMaster University, ON, Canada. This project was funded by the South African Netherlands Research Programme on Alternatives in Development, South African National Research Foundation (NRF), North-West University, Population Health Research Institute, Roche Diagnostics and South African Medical Research Council. The financial assistance of the NRF towards this research is hereby acknowledged. Opinions expressed and conclusions arrived at, are those of the authors and are not necessarily to be attributed to the NRF.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART), North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa

    L F Gafane, R Schutte & A E Schutte

  2. Africa Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research (AUTHeR), North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa

    I M Kruger

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  1. L F Gafane
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Correspondence to A E Schutte.

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Gafane, L., Schutte, R., Kruger, I. et al. Large artery stiffness and carotid intima-media thickness in relation to markers of calcium and bone mineral metabolism in African women older than 46 years. J Hum Hypertens 29, 152–158 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/jhh.2014.71

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