Association of Vascular Age and Subclinical Target Organ Damage in a Beijing Community-Based Population: A Cross-Sectional Study

TL;DR

This study shows that vascular age, calculated from arterial stiffness measurements, can predict early signs of vascular damage in a Chinese community population.

Contribution

The study introduces Δ-age as a novel indicator for identifying individuals at risk of subclinical target organ damage.

Findings

Higher Δ-age was independently associated with increased carotid intima-media thickness and carotid plaque prevalence.

Early vascular aging participants had higher risk of target organ damage compared to normal vascular aging participants.

Supernormal vascular aging participants showed a nonsignificant trend toward lower risk of target organ damage.

Abstract

Background: Vascular aging (VA) reflects arterial biological aging and is closely linked to cardiovascular risk. Carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) is the gold standard for assessing arterial stiffness and VA. However, evidence is limited on cfPWV-derived vascular age and its association with subclinical target organ damage (TOD) in the general population. This study evaluated whether Δ-age (vascular age minus chronological age) could identify individuals at higher risk of early vascular injury in a Chinese community cohort. Methods: This cross-sectional study included participants from two Beijing communities. Δ-age was calculated as cfPWV-derived vascular age minus chronological age. Participants were categorized as supernormal vascular aging (SUPERNOVA, <10th percentile), normal VA, and early vascular aging (EVA, 90th percentile). TOD included mean and maximum carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), and carotid plaque. Associations between Δ-age and TOD were analyzed using multivariable regression models adjusted for conventional cardiovascular risk factors and cfPWV. Results: A total of 6305 participants (mean age 62.5 ± 7.8 years; 34.2% male) were included. Higher Δ-age was associated with increased mean and maximum CIMT and higher carotid plaque prevalence, independent of cfPWV. EVA participants had a higher risk, whereas SUPERNOVA participants had a lower risk of TOD compared with normal VA. After cfPWV adjustment, EVA remained associated with increased mean CIMT and carotid plaque, while SUPERNOVA showed a nonsignificant trend toward a lower risk. Associations were consistent across subgroups. Conclusions: Δ-age, independent of cfPWV, was an independent risk factor for TOD. This simple, practical indicator may help identify individuals at risk of early vascular damage in community settings.

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