Gender features of the vascular wall condition in young people with the body weight excess

Objective. To assess the gender features of the vascular wall state in young people with overweight using the photoplethysmography method. Materials and methods. The study included 140 subjects (70 females and 70 males) with a mean age of 20.3±0.1 years. The main group of females/males included participants with overweight (body mass index (BMI) 25.00—29.99 kg/m2) and grade I obesity (BMI 30.00—34.99 kg/m2), the control group included females/males with normal body weight (BMI 18.50—24.99 kg/m2). The results in gender groups were analyzed separately. Photoplethysmography (PPG) was used to assess the state of the vascular wall. The study analyzed key parameters of the vascular system, including blood pressure (BP), vascular wall stiffness index, pulse volume index, augmentation index, and pulse wave duration. Results. Females in the main group had higher systolic and diastolic BP (124.06 (12.23) and 80.75 (8.42) mmHg vs. 116.50 (9.28) and 73.39 (6.98) mmHg in the control group, p=0.004 and p<0.001, respectively). In females with overweight and obesity, the predicted central systolic pressure (SPa) and the augmentation index (AIp75) were significantly higher than in the control group by 4.05% (p=0.014) and 80.26% (p=0.043), respectively. The AIp75 correlated with mean blood pressure (r=0.61), indicating the importance of assessing these indicators in young women as potential markers of an accelerated increase in vascular wall stiffness and a blood pressure elevation. However, no such pattern was found in males, and there were no significant differences between groups in the correlation of PPG indicators and blood pressure. Conclusion. In young females with overweight, in contrast to males, photoplethysmography showed a correlation between blood pressure and changes in the vascular wall, particularly an increase in its stiffness (based on the augmentation index, AIp75). The gender-specific features of the vascular wall should be considered in young people when planning research and developing personalized approaches to the prevention of arterial hypertension.