P090 VASCULAR GROWTH FACTORS AND ARTERIAL STIFFENING IN YOUNG PEOPLE FROM THE 1986 JAMAICA BIRTH COHORT

Background and Objective: Vascular growth factors (GFs), as endothelial (VEGF), epidermal (EGF), and angiopoietin 1 (Angp1) and 2 (Angp2) promote blood vessel growth in early and later life. Increased arterial stiffness as aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a powerful indicator of prognosis, independent of blood pressure (BP). Few studies have examined impacts of GFs epidemiologically although VEGF inhibitors eg; for macular degeneration, can cause steep BP rises. We tested the hypothesis that these factors measured aged 18-20y in a Caribbean cohort would be related to arterial function as PWV in the same people 10 years later. Methods: Participants were restricted to a cohort subset born in Jamaica September-October 1986 with PWV at 28-30y. Socio-demography and anthropometry were recorded at 18-20 and 28-30yo visits, with serum stored at -70o from 18-20y with GFs measured by Elisa assays. Analyses were mainly by linear regression, as separate then if significant, combined models. Other included risk factors (RFs) were age, sex, smoking education, BMI, mean BP and their change over follow-up. Results: In 387 participants (47% male) at 28-30y, median serum GF concentrations ranged from VEGF 103.7 pg/ml to EGF 949.6 pg/ml with Angp1 70.8pg/ml Angp2 907.8 pg/ml with male:female differences in BMI (26.3:28.5 kg/m2), smokers (29.7:2.4%) tertiary education (22: 38%), SBP (114:108mmHg), MAP (85.5:85.5mmHg) and PWV (6.4:6.8 m/s). In the final multivariable model, VEGF (Beta, 95% CI) 0.13, 0.05-0.22; p=0.003, with gender, BMI, MAP and their changes over 10y were all independently and positively related to PWV (all p<0.001). EGF's marginal inverse relationship was not significant and Angp1 or Angp2 were unrelated alone, or jointly in the same model. Conclusion: At 18-20y, VEGF concentrations were positively and independently related to aortic PWV indicating arterial stiffening at 28-30y, as were other standard risk factors. These data suggest that VEGF may in part drive such stiffening/ remodeling over time, aggravated by other standard RFs.