Arterial Stiffness News and Research

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Arteries stiffen as a consequence of age and atherosclerosis. The two leading causes of death in the developed world, myocardial infarction and stroke, are both a direct consequence of atherosclerosis. Increased arterial stiffness is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events.

NIH-funded study using SphygmoCor published

AtCor Medical the developer and marketer of the SphygmoCor® system which measures central blood pressure and arterial stiffness noninvasively, today announced the publication of a key National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study(1) using SphygmoCor in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC).

2 Nov 2009

Even one cigarette has serious adverse effects on young adults, says researcher

Even one cigarette has serious adverse effects on young adults, according to research presented by Dr. Stella Daskalopoulou at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2009, co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society.

27 Oct 2009

Smoking one cigarette can increase artery stiffness by 25% in young adults

27 Oct 2009

Aerobic activity makes older adults' arteries more elastic

Just three months of physical activity reaps heart health benefits for older adults with type 2 diabetes by improving the elasticity in their arteries - reducing risk of heart disease and stroke, Dr. Kenneth Madden told the 2009 Canadian Cardiovascular Congress, co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society.

26 Oct 2009

Sit-and-reach test to gauge age-related arterial stiffness

How far you can reach beyond your toes from a sitting position - normally used to define the flexibility of a person's body - may be an indicator of how stiff your arteries are.

6 Oct 2009

Simple interventions help prevent adverse cardiovascular effects caused by pollution

Diesel exhaust causes arteries to lose their flexibility. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Particle and Fibre Toxicology found that exposure to engine pollution resulted in arterial stiffness in a group of healthy volunteers.

15 Mar 2009

Even minimally symptomatic obstructive sleep apnea increases cardiovascular risk

People with even minimally symptomatic obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may be at increased risk for cardiovascular disease because of impaired endothelial function and increased arterial stiffness, according to a study from the Oxford Centre for Respiratory Medicine in the UK.

26 Oct 2008

Kidney donor age linked to aortic siffening

Transplantation of kidneys from older donors is followed by increased stiffening of the recipient's aorta - which may help to explain the higher rates of cardiovascular disease and death in patients receiving kidneys from "expanded criteria" donors, reports a study in the April Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

22 Feb 2008

ACE inhibitor perindopril may help improve cardiac complications from Marfan syndrome

Preliminary research suggests that use of the ACE inhibitor perindopril, along with a beta-blocker, may help reduce cardiac measures such as aortic stiffness and dilation that are associated with the cardiac complications of Marfan syndrome, according to an article in the October 3 issue of JAMA.

3 Oct 2007

Ostructive sleep apnea and continuous positive airway pressure

Researchers in Brazil have found that treating patients who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) dramatically reduces early indications of atherosclerosis in just months, linking OSA directly to the hardening or narrowing of the arteries.

29 Sep 2007

People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have greater arterial stiffness

The researchers also found that those COPD patients with osteoporosis, a common complication of the respiratory disease, had even greater arterial stiffness. These premature signs of aging may explain why COPD patients are at greater risk for cardiovascular disease.

19 Jun 2007

High pulse pressure linked to increased risk for high-tension open-angle glaucoma

Individuals with a high pulse pressure (the difference between the systolic [top number] and diastolic [bottom number] blood pressure), appear to have an increased risk for high-tension open-angle glaucoma, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.

14 Jun 2007

Youth at risk of overweight compared with healthy-weight youth appear to have increased cardiovascular risks

Key indicators of cardiovascular health, such as blood pressure and arterial stiffness, are headed in the wrong direction in "chunky" adolescents, researchers say.

11 May 2007

Alagebrium may prevent arterial aging in patients with systolic hypertension

A compound called alagebrium, which is very similar to another used in anti-wrinkle creams, may be useful in reducing the deleterious effects of arterial aging in the majority of elderly Americans with systolic hypertension, a new study from researchers at Johns Hopkins shows.

5 Dec 2005

Blood pressure near the heart is more predictive of cardiovascular outcomes than blood pressure measured in the arm

Results from a new study show that amlodipine-based (calcium channel blocker) treatment is much more effective at reducing blood pressure near the heart than a conventional atenolol-based (beta blocker) regimen.

14 Nov 2005

Physical fitness and regular exercise reduces a major predictor of cardiovascular disease

Physical fitness and regular exercise reduces a major predictor of cardiovascular disease in adults with normal blood pressure or mild hypertension. Physical conditioning in the absence of medication is not, however, as advantageous to the more severe hypertensive patient, reported researchers at the American Society of Hypertension Twentieth Annual Scientific Meeting.

16 May 2005

Erectile dysfunction, high blood pressure linked

Men with high blood pressure have a new reason to get their condition under control – they may be at risk for erectile dysfunction, medical experts announced at the American Society of Hypertension’s Twentieth Annual Scientific Meeting.

16 May 2005

Smoking and coffee combined have a greater harmful effect on arteries and blood flow

Smoking and coffee often go together. But the combination appears to have a harmful effect on arteries and blood flow that is greater than would be expected from simply combining the effects of each practice.

2 Nov 2004

65 percent of America’s adults are overweight and 31 percent of adults are obese and at risk for chronic diseases

Government and private sector health experts now estimate that 65 percent of America’s adults are overweight and 31 percent of adults are obese and at risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. The link between obesity and hypertension is well known, but the exact nature of the association between the two disorders remains unclear.

11 Jun 2004

Dark chocolate and cocoa may help arterial stiffness

“This is the first study to investigate whether chocolate has any favorable effects on cardiovascular function in healthy subjects,” says Charalambos Vlachopoulos, MD, of the Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece. “We found dark chocolate improves endothelial function and decreases arterial stiffness in healthy young adults.”

19 May 2004