Effect of age on brachial artery wall properties differs from the aorta and is gender dependent - A population study

Compliance and distensibility are wall properties of large arteries, which may play a role in cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the influence of age on these vessel wall properties d iffers between vascular territories and is gender-dependent. In a populatio n sample of 498 men and women 20 to 79 years of age, diameter, distensibili ty, and compliance coefficient of the muscular brachial artery were measure d with an echo-tracking device. Distensibility of the aorta was measured wi th the use of pulse-wave velocity. The effects of age and gender were asses sed and adjusted for confounding factors such as mean blood pressure, pulse rate, body mass index, smoking, alcohol intake, and antihypertensive treat ment. Covariance analysis showed no relation between gender and distensibil ity of the elastic aorta. Distensibility of the muscular brachial artery wa s lower in men, whereas men had a larger diameter and larger compliance of the brachial artery. With age, distensibility of the aorta decreased in bot h sexes to the same extent, whereas distensibility of the brachial artery d id not change significantly. With age, brachial artery diameter increased; this increase was more pronounced in women. In men brachial artery complian ce did not change with age, whereas in women compliance of the brachial art ery increased with age. This study (1) confirms that distensibility of the aorta, an elastic artery, decreases with age. (2) In contrast to the aorta, after adjustment for confounding factors, in both men and women, no relati on exists between age and distensibility of the muscular brachial artery. ( 3) Brachial artery diameter increase with age is more pronounced in women t han in men. (4) In contrast to the well-known decrease in arterial complian ce of elastic arteries with age, brachial artery compliance is not decrease d with age and is increased in women. In conclusion, the effect of age on l arge-artery wall properties is not uniform but depends on gender and vascul ar territory.