The impact of age and 24-h blood pressure on arterial health in acute ischemic stroke patients: The Norwegian stroke in the young study.

The impact of age and 24-h ambulatory blood pressure (ABPM) on arterial stiffness and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) in ischemic stroke patients younger than 60 years of age is poorly explored. A total of 385 acute ischemic stroke patients (aged 49.6±9.7 years, 68% men) were prospectively included and grouped in younger (15-44 years, n = 93) and middle-aged (45-60 years, n = 292). Arterial stiffness was measured by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV), and cIMT by carotid ultrasound. 24-h ABPM was recorded. The middle-aged stroke patients had higher prevalence of smoking, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome and hypercholesterolemia, and had higher PWV and cIMT (all p < .05). In multivariable linear regression analyses adjusted for sex, BMI, smoking, diabetes mellitus, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, eGFR, systolic BP and concomitant antihypertensive treatment, 1SD (4.4 years) higher age was associated with higher PWV (β = 0.44,R2 = 0.46, p < .001) in the younger group, and with higher mean cIMT (β = 0.16, R2 = 0.21, p = .01) in the middle-aged group. In the middle-aged group, 24-h pulse pressure had a significant association with PWV (β = 0.18, R2 = 0.19, p = .009), while the association with cIMT was attenuated (β = 0.13, R2 = 0.16, p = .065). 24-h diastolic BP was associated with higher cIMT in the middle-aged group (β = 0.24, p < .001, R2 = 0.23), but not with PWV in either age groups. Among ischemic stroke patients < 60 years, higher age was associated with increased arterial stiffness for patients up to age 44 years, and with cIMT in middle-aged patients. 24-h pulse pressure was associated with arterial stiffness, and 24-h diastolic BP was associated with cIMT only in middle-aged patients.