Aortic Aging in ESRD: Structural, Hemodynamic, and Mortality Implications

Aging incurs aortic stiffening and dilation, but these changes are less pronounced in peripheral arteries, resulting in stiffness and geometry gradients influencing progression of the forward and reflected pressure waves. Because premature arterial aging is observed in ESRD, we determined the respective roles of stiffness and aortic geometry gradients in 73 controls and 156 patients on hemodialysis. We measured aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) and brachial PWV to evaluate the stiffness gradient [(brachial PWV/aortic PWV)(0.5)] and ascending aortic and aortic bifurcation diameters to assess aortic taper (ascending aortic diameter/aortic bifurcation diameter). The global reflection coefficient was estimated from characteristic impedance and vascular resistance. Cox proportional hazard models were used to determine mortality risk. The age-associated increase in aortic PWV was higher in patients (P<0.001). In controls, aortic ascending and bifurcation diameters increased with age, with an unchanged aortic taper. In patients on hemodialysis, age did not associate with increased ascending aortic diameter but did associate with increased aortic bifurcation diameter and decreased aortic taper, both of which also associated with abdominal aortic calcifications and smaller global reflection coefficient (P<0.001). In patients, multivariate models revealed all-cause and cardiovascular mortality associated with age, aortic PWV, and aortic bifurcation diameter with high specificity and sensitivity. Using stiffness gradient, aortic taper, or global reflection coefficient in the model produced similar results. Thus, whereas aortic stiffness is a known independent predictor of mortality, these results indicate the importance of also evaluating the aortic geometry in patients on hemodialysis.