Age dependency of central and peripheral systolic blood pressures: cross-sectional and longitudinal observations in European populations.

Background: As arteries become stiffer with ageing, reflected waves move faster and augment late systolic pressure. We investigated the age dependency of peripheral and central systolic pressure, pressure amplification (peripheral systolic blood pressure - central systolic blood pressure), and peripheral and central systolic augmentation (maximal systolic pressure minus the first peak of the pressure wave).
Methods: We randomly recruited 1420 White Europeans (mean age, 41.7 years). peripheral systolic blood pressure and central systolic blood pressure were measured by means of an oscillometric sphygmomanometer and pulse wave analysis, respectively.
Results: In cross-sectional analyses (731 women, 689 men), central systolic blood pressure and central systolic augmentation increased more with age than peripheral systolic blood pressure and peripheral systolic augmentation. These age-related increases were greater in women than men. The age-related decrease in pressure amplification was similar in both sexes. In longitudinal analyses (208 women, 190 men), the annual increases in central systolic blood pressure and central systolic augmentation were steeper (p < 0.001) than those in peripheral systolic blood pressure and peripheral systolic augmentation with no sex differences (p ≥ 0.068), except for peripheral systolic augmentation, which was larger in women (p = 0.002). Longitudinally, pressure amplification decreased more with age in women than men (p = 0.012). In multivariable-adjusted analyses, age was the overriding determinant of peripheral systolic blood pressure and central systolic blood pressure.
Conclusion: With ageing, peripheral systolic blood pressure approximates to central systolic blood pressure. This might explain why in older subjects peripheral systolic blood pressure becomes the main predictor of cardiovascular complications.