High Arterial Stiffness may Increase Risk of Cerebral Small Vessel Disease in Normotensive Individuals

• The participants were divided into four groups based on specific criteria:
  
• Low blood pressure (BP, <120/80 mm Hg) with low baPWV (<14.63 m/s, a threshold predictive of CSVD).
• High BP (≥120/80 mm Hg) with low baPWV.
• Low BP with high baPWV (≥14.63 m/s).
• High BP with high baPWV.

The study revealed several significant findings:

• The overall prevalence of CSVD in the study population was 38%.
• The prevalence of CSVD was highest in the low BP with high baPWV (56%) and high BP with high baPWV (55%) groups.
• Compared to the group with low BP and low baPWV, both the low BP with high baPWV and the high BP with high baPWV groups had a significantly higher risk for CSVD, with odds ratios of 1.63 and 1.86, respectively, even after adjusting for various confounding variables.

This study underscores the importance of arterial stiffness as an independent risk factor for CSVD, potentially outweighing the role of blood pressure status. The findings emphasize the need for proactive measures to monitor and manage arterial stiffness in stroke-free individuals, as it could be a more critical factor in CSVD development than hypertension. Further research is warranted to explore interventions that target arterial stiffness to prevent or mitigate the risks associated with CSVD.

Reference:

Miyagi, T., Ishida, A., Shinzato, T., & Ohya, Y. Arterial stiffness is associated with small vessel disease irrespective of blood pressure in stroke-free individuals. Stroke; a Journal of Cerebral Circulation,2023. https://doi.org/10.1161/strokeaha.123.042512