Vascular stiffness and healthy arterial aging in older patients with optimal blood pressure.

Introduction: Pulse wave velocity is used to diagnose central arterial stiffness (CAS) and quantify healthy vascular aging (HVA).

Objective: To evaluate the CAS and HVA in elderly patients with systemic blood pressure levels classified as optimal/normal.

Methods: A total of 102 patients without comorbidities and with systolic pressure (SP) < 120 mmHg and diastolic pressure (DP) < 80 mmHg were selected from the EVOPIU database (Pulse Wave Velocity of Elderly Individuals in an Urban area of Brazil).

Association between diabetes mellitus and central arterial stiffness in elderly patients with systemic arterial hypertension.

Background: Aging increases the risk of chronic diseases, especially cardiovascular diseases, leading to changes in cardiovascular anatomy and physiology even in the absence of other comorbidities. Numerous cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs), such as diabetes mellitus (DM) and systemic arterial hypertension (SAH), can modify the functional and structural properties of large vessels, increasing arterial stiffness.

Objective: To determine whether elderly patients with hypertension with DM have greater central arterial stiffness than elderly patients with SAH without DM.