Longitudinal Changes of Input Impedance, Pulse Wave Velocity, and Wave Reflection in a Middle-Aged Population

The changes experienced by the arterial system due to the aging process have been extensively studied but are incompletely understood. Within-subject patterns of changes in regards to input impedance and wave reflection parameters have not been assessed. The Asklepios study is a longitudinal population study including healthy (at onset) middle-aged subjects, with 974 males and 1052 females undergoing 2 rounds of measurements of applanation tonometry and ultrasound, 10.15±1.40 years apart. Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, aortic input impedance, and wave reflection parameters were assessed, and linear mixed-effects models were used to evaluate their longitudinal trajectories and determinants. Overall, the effective 10-year increase in pulse wave velocity was less than expected from first round cross-sectional data, and pulse wave velocity was found to accelerate more in women than in men. Interestingly, the increase in pulse wave velocity was not paralleled by a decrease in arterial volume compliance, particularly in younger males. Aortic root characteristic impedance decreased with age in younger subjects while it increased for the older subjects in the study. These changes suggest that aortic dilation and elongation may play an important role determining the longitudinal age-related changes in impedance parameters in middle-age. Wave reflection decreased with aging, whereas resistance increased in women and decreased in men. We conclude that the effective impact of aging on arterial system properties, in a middle-aged population, is not well reflected by cross-sectional studies. Future studies should assess the interaction between geometric remodeling and wall stiffening as determinants of pulsatile hemodynamics.