The Possible Impact of Aortic Stiffness on Quality of Late Life: An Exploratory Study

Figures & data

Table 1 Participants’ Characteristics (n=280)

Characteristics	Total	No Problem EQ-5D Index (n=66)	Any Problem EQ-5D Index (n=214)	p-value
Age, years	79 [76–83]	78 [76–81]	79 [76–84]	0.047
Women, %	42.1	28.8	46.3	0.012
Education, years	12.1 (±4.5)	12.7 (±4.9)	11.9 (±4.4)	0.179
Packyears of smoking, years	5 [0–20]	3.9 [0–20]	6 [0–20.4]	0.528
Current smoker, %	5.0	3.0	5.6	0.824
Alcohol consumption ≥1 unit a day, %	34.3	39.4	32.7	0.317
BMI, kg/m^2	26.3 (±4.3)	26.1 (±3.3)	26.3 (±4.5)	0.760
ADL dependent, %	15.4	9.1	17.3	0.106
iADL dependent, %	48.6	25.8	55.6	<0.001
MMSE, score	29 [27–30]	28 [27–30]	29 [27–30]	0.988
GDS, score	2 [1–3]	0 [0–1]	2 [1–4]	<0.001
eGFR-BIS, mL/min	47.2 (±13.6)	46.6 (±13.1)	47.3 (±13.8)	0.701
Hypertension, %	70.7	62.1	73.4	0.079
Diabetes Mellitus, %	26.4	27.3	26.2	0.859
History of TIA/CVA, %	20.4	15.2	22.0	0.230
Atrial fibrillation, %	17.1	10.6	19.2	0.107
COPD, %	21.1	10.6	24.3	0.017
History of malignancy, %	23.6	15.2	26.2	0.065
CIRS, total score	12.8 (±4.9)	10.9 (±4.4)	13.4 (±4.9)	<0.001
CIRS, severity index	1.8 (±0.3)	1.8 (±0.3)	1.9 (±0.3)	0.271
Vascular Parameters
pSBP, mmHg	146.1 (±20.2)	148.2 (±20.3)	145.4 (±20.1)	0.337
pDBP, mmHg	85.1 (±11.2)	88.4 (±11.8)	84.1 (±10.9)	0.006
MAP, mmHg	113.0 (±14.0)	115.8 (±14.8)	112.2 (±13.6)	0.068
pPP, mmHg	60.9 (±15.5)	59.7 (±13.8)	61.2 (±16.0)	0.509
Heart rate, bpm	69.8 (±12.2)	70.5 (±12.9)	69.5 (±11.9)	0.579
cSBP, mmHg	130.6 (±17.4)	132.2 (±16.6)	130.1 (±17.6)	0.395
cDBP, mmHg	86.7 (±11.3)	90.3 (±11.8)	85.7 (±11.0)	0.004
cPP, mmHg	43.8 (±12.8)	42.0 (±10.1)	44.4 (±13.5)	0.119
aPWV, m/s	12.5 (±1.2)	12.2 (±0.9)	12.6 (±1.3)	0.024

Notes: Continuous variables are presented as mean (±SD) or median [IQR]. P-values are based on T-test and Mann–Whitney U-Test for continuous variables and Chi-square test for categorical variables. P-values in bold indicate significant differences (p<0.05) between groups.

Abbreviations: BMI, Body Mass Index; (i)ADL, (instrumental) Activities of Daily Living; MMSE, Mini–Mental State Examination; GDS, Geriatric Depression Scale; eGFR-BIS, estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate; TIA/CVA, transient ischemic attack/cerebrovascular accident; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; CIRS, Cumulative Illness Rating Scale; pSBP, peripheral systolic blood pressure; pDBP, peripheral diastolic blood pressure; MAP, mean arterial pressure; pPP, peripheral pulse pressure; cSBP, central systolic blood pressure; cDBP, central diastolic blood pressure; aPWV, aortic Pulse Wave Velocity; cPP, central Pulse Pressure.

Table 2 Characteristics of Health-Related Quality of Life (n=280)

Characteristics
EQ-5D index, score	0.86 [0.81–0.91]
EQ-5D VAS, score	74.9 (±14.8)
No Problems per Dimension
Mobility, %	42.5
Self-care, %	92.5
Daily activities, %	78.9
Pain/discomfort, %	44.6
Anxiety/depression, %	83.6

Note: Continuous variables are presented as mean (±SD) or median [IQR].

Abbreviation: EQ-5D VAS, EQ-5D Visual Analogue Scale.

Figure 1 Mean values of aortic stiffness according to EQ-5D index status (n=280).

Notes: (A and B): aortic Pulse Wave Velocity (aPWV) in m/s; (C and D): central Pulse Pressure (cPP) in mmHg. Model 1: adjusted for age, sex, mean arterial pressure and heart rate; Model 2: additionally adjusted for Cumulative Illness Rating Scale total score. Dots represent mean values, bars represent 95% confidence intervals.