Association between ambulatory arterial stiffness ındex and SCORE-derived vascular age in ındividuals without cardiovascular disease

BACKGROUND: The ambulatory arterial stiffness ındex (AASI), derived from ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, functions as a straightforward surrogate marker for arterial stiffness. Vascular age, calculated utilizing the SCORE Project, has gained increasing prominence and accessibility as a tool for conveying cardiovascular (CV) risk and is progressively recognized as a surrogate marker for vascular biological aging. AIMS: Our aim was to assess the association between the AASI and SCORE-derived vascular age in individuals without established CV disease. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 276 patients (53.6% women) aged 40-65 years without CV, cerebrovascular disease, or diabetes mellitus were evaluated. AASI was calculated from 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring data, and vascular age was estimated using SCORE charts. The strength and independence of the association between the AASI and vascular age were evaluated using Pearson's correlation and multivariable linear regression analyses. RESULTS: The mean vascular age was 59.7 years and mean AASI was 0.39. AASI was significantly associated with vascular age (r = 0.529; P <0.001). In the multivariable analysis, a 0.1-unit increase in AASI corresponded to a 0.992-year increase in vascular age (P = 0.015), independent of age, metabolic syndrome, and left ventricular mass. CONCLUSIONS: AASI is significantly associated with SCORE-derived vascular age, highlighting its potential utility as a simple, non-invasive indicator of vascular biological aging and a valuable tool for early CV risk stratification in outpatient settings.