Age dependency of central and peripheral systolic blood pressures: cross-sectional and longitudinal observations in European populations

Abstract

As arteries become stiffer with ageing, reflected waves move faster and augment late systolic pressure. We investigated the age dependency of peripheral and central systolic pressure, pressure amplification (peripheral systolic blood pressure - central systolic blood pressure), and peripheral and central systolic augmentation (maximal systolic pressure minus the first peak of the pressure wave).

Keywords

• ageing
• cardiovascular disease
• central blood pressure
• epidemiology
• peripheral blood pressure
• risk factors