Race & Gender Differences In Arterial Velocity

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The project studies the carotid artery and intracerebral blood flow velocity using doppler ultrasonography in Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging participants. The goal is to determine how arterial anatomic and physiologic properties are associated with cerebrovascular diseases and aging. We are currently examining the relationship between several carotid arterial measurements and alcohol usage in the BLSA. We find that mild to moderate alcohol usage is associated with greater arterial elasticity and decreased stiffness in the common carotid artery. A less impressive association was observed with arterial wall thickness and diameter. The changes were independent of blood pressure and age. The response of the artery to alcohol usage may represent one mechanism for its protective effect against cardiovascular disease. In previous work we had shown that the use of estrogen replacement in postmenopausal women was associated with lower arterial stiffness. Male sex hormones are known to decline with increasing age, and have been associated with atherosclerotic disease and with risk factors for atherosclerosis. We have examined the relationship between androgenic hormones and arterial stiffness (beta stiffness index). Both testosterone and free testosterone (assessed by the free testosterone index) were negatively correlated with age, pulse pressure and stiffness index, while SHBG was positively correlated with age and stiffness index. Multiple regression analysis revealed that T was the only hormone that predicted the arterial stiffness index after adjustment for risk parameters. T values 5 to 10 years prior to the carotid study were also a predictor of the stiffness index. A path analysis revealed that decreasing T with advancing age increased stiffness index directly and indirectly through increasing pulse pressure. DHEAS did not appear to directly contribute to arterial stiffness. Current work is examining the response of arterial stiffness and wall thickness to the state of reported anger. A positive relationship is being seen between anger and arterial stiffness that varies across age. In addition, we are examining the impact of the Metabolic Syndrome to arterial properties.