Background: Cardiovascular (CV) risk factors are associated with abnormalities in vascular function and structure. Arterial distensibility decreases with age and extent of arteriosclerosis. Mediators of arteriosclerosis may affect segments of the vascular tree differently, and information is limited on vascular changes of the brachial artery. Therefore, we explored the effect of multiple CV risk factors on brachial artery distensibility (BrachD).
Methods: A cross-sectional study of CV risk factors and BrachD was performed in an ongoing epidemiologic study (the Bogalusa Heart Study). Data were collected on 803 young adults (42% male, 72% white, aged 19 to 37 years) including BrachD measured by pulse waveform analysis (DynaPulse 2000A, Pulse Metric, Inc.) CV risk factors (anthropometric, hemodynamic, and metabolic variables) were considered abnormal if ranked in the highest age-, ethnicity-, and sex-specific quartile for this population (lowest quartile for HDL).
Results: BrachD was significantly lower in African American than in white subjects (6.33% v 6.76% Delta/mm Hg, P < .005). An inverse linear relationship was noted between BrachD and number of CV risk factors clustering in an individual (P < .0001 trend analysis).
Conclusions: In young adults, increasing numbers of adverse CV risk factors is associated with decreased brachial artery distensibility. Noninvasive brachial artery function measures are useful in measuring subclinical arteriosclerotic vascular changes.