Published Online
on September 26, 2005

A more recent version of this article appeared on October 4, 2005

This Article Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 112/14/2193    most recent CIRCULATIONAHA.105.535435v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Vlachopoulos, C. Articles by Stefanadis, C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Vlachopoulos, C. Articles by Stefanadis, C. Pubmed/NCBI databases Medline Plus Health Information Immunization Related Collections Other Vascular biology Pathophysiology Risk Factors

Submitted on August 19, 2004
Revised on July 4, 2005
Accepted on July 12, 2005

Acute Systemic Inflammation Increases Arterial Stiffness and Decreases Wave Reflections in Healthy Individuals

Charalambos Vlachopoulos MD^*, Ioanna Dima MD, Konstantinos Aznaouridis MD, Carmen Vasiliadou MD, Nikolaos Ioakeimidis MD, Constadina Aggeli MD, Marina Toutouza MD, and Christodoulos Stefanadis MD

From the First Department of Cardiology, Athens Medical School, Hippokration Hospital, Athens, Greece.

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: cvlachop{at}otenet.gr.

Background--Aortic stiffness is a marker of cardiovascular disease and an independent predictor of cardiovascular risk. Although an association between inflammatory markers and increased arterial stiffness has been suggested, the causative relationship between inflammation and arterial stiffness has not been investigated.

Methods and Results--One hundred healthy individuals were studied according to a randomized, double-blind, sham procedure-controlled design. Each substudy consisted of 2 treatment arms, 1 with Salmonella typhi vaccination and 1 with sham vaccination. Vaccination produced a significant (P<0.01) increase in pulse wave velocity (at 8 hours by 0.43 m/s), denoting an increase in aortic stiffness. Wave reflections were reduced significantly (P<0.01) by vaccination (decrease in augmentation index of 5.0% at 8 hours and 2.5% at 32 hours) as a result of peripheral vasodilatation. These effects were associated with significant increases in inflammatory markers such as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (P<0.001), high-sensitivity interleukin-6 (P<0.001), and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (P<0.01). With aspirin pretreatment (1200 mg PO), neither pulse wave velocity nor augmentation index changed significantly after vaccination (increase of 0.11 m/s and 0.4%, respectively; P=NS for both).

Conclusions--This is the first study to show through a cause-and-effect relationship that acute systemic inflammation leads to deterioration of large-artery stiffness and to a decrease in wave reflections. These findings have important implications, given the importance of aortic stiffness for cardiovascular function and risk and the potential of therapeutic interventions with antiinflammatory properties.

Key words: arterial stiffness • atherosclerosis • endothelium • inflammation • wave reflections

This article has been cited by other articles:

				R. Schnabel, M. G. Larson, J. Dupuis, K. L. Lunetta, I. Lipinska, J. B. Meigs, X. Yin, J. Rong, J. A. Vita, C. Newton-Cheh, et al. Relations of Inflammatory Biomarkers and Common Genetic Variants With Arterial Stiffness and Wave Reflection Hypertension, June 1, 2008; 51(6): 1651 - 1657. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				N L Mills, J J Miller, A Anand, S D Robinson, G A Frazer, D Anderson, L Breen, I B Wilkinson, C M McEniery, K Donaldson, et al. Increased arterial stiffness in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a mechanism for increased cardiovascular risk Thorax, April 1, 2008; 63(4): 306 - 311. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Vlachopoulos, K. Aznaouridis, A. Dagre, C. Vasiliadou, C. Masoura, E. Stefanadi, J. Skoumas, C. Pitsavos, and C. Stefanadis Protective effect of atorvastatin on acute systemic inflammation-induced endothelial dysfunction in hypercholesterolaemic subjects Eur. Heart J., September 1, 2007; 28(17): 2102 - 2109. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Agabiti-Rosei, G. Mancia, M. F. O'Rourke, M. J. Roman, M. E. Safar, H. Smulyan, J.-G. Wang, I. B. Wilkinson, B. Williams, and C. Vlachopoulos Central Blood Pressure Measurements and Antihypertensive Therapy: A Consensus Document Hypertension, July 1, 2007; 50(1): 154 - 160. [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. C. Geiger, C. Hancock, D. C. Wright, D.-H. Han, and J. O. Holloszy IL-6 increases muscle insulin sensitivity only at superphysiological levels Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, June 1, 2007; 292(6): E1842 - E1846. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Laurent and P. Boutouyrie Recent Advances in Arterial Stiffness and Wave Reflection in Human Hypertension Hypertension, June 1, 2007; 49(6): 1202 - 1206. [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. E. Donald, M. Charakida, T. J. Cole, P. Friberg, P. J. Chowienczyk, S. C. Millasseau, J. E. Deanfield, and J. P. Halcox Non-Invasive Assessment of Endothelial Function: Which Technique? J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., November 7, 2006; 48(9): 1846 - 1850. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Vlachopoulos, K. Aznaouridis, N. Ioakeimidis, K. Rokkas, C. Vasiliadou, N. Alexopoulos, E. Stefanadi, A. Askitis, and C. Stefanadis Unfavourable endothelial and inflammatory state in erectile dysfunction patients with or without coronary artery disease Eur. Heart J., November 2, 2006; 27(22): 2640 - 2648. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C Vlachopoulos, K Aznaouridis, and C Stefanadis Clinical appraisal of arterial stiffness: the Argonauts in front of the Golden Fleece Heart, November 1, 2006; 92(11): 1544 - 1550. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Vlachopoulos, F. Kosmopoulou, N. Alexopoulos, N. Ioakeimidis, G. Siasos, and C. Stefanadis Acute mental stress has a prolonged unfavorable effect on arterial stiffness and wave reflections. Psychosom Med, March 1, 2006; 68(2): 231 - 237. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]