Differential Roles of Life-Course Cumulative Burden of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Arterial Stiffness and Thickness

Background Data are limited regarding differential and common effects of cardiovascular risk factors on subclinical changes in vascular structure and function. We aimed to examine the relationships of life-course cumulative burdens of cardiovascular risk factors with adult arterial pulse wave velocity (PWV) and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) in a longitudinal cohort of the Bogalusa Heart Study. Methods The cohort consisted of 900 subjects who had aortic-femoral PWV and CIMT measurements. These participants were examined 5-16 times for body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC) from childhood to adulthood. The area under the curve (AUC) was calculated as a measure of long-term burden of the risk factors. Results Adjusting for covariates, adult PWV was associated with AUCs of BMI, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and AIP (standardized regression coefficient [β] = 0.191, 0.321, 0.153, respectively; P < 0.001 for all). Adult CIMT was associated with AUCs of BMI, SBP, AIP and LDLC (β = 0.115, 0.202, 0.141, 0.152, respectively; P < 0.001 for all). Moreover, childhood BMI was associated with adult PWV and CIMT (β = 0.088 and 0.075, respectively; false discovery rate q values < 0.05 for both), and childhood LDLC with adult CIMT (β = 0.079; false discovery rate q value < 0.05). These associations did not differ significantly among race and sex groups. Conclusions The life-course cumulative burden of BMI, SBP, and AIP has common effects on arterial wall stiffening and thickening, whereas LDLC is specifically associated with arterial wall thickness, and this effect starts in early life.