Agbaje AO, Barker AR, Tuomainen TP, et al. - Temporal analysis revealed a direct association of baseline carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) with follow-up systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP), however, no link was identified between baseline BP and follow-up cfPWV. Findings showed a bidirectional association of cfPWV but not carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) with adiposity. Obesity and hypertension prevention from adolescence may need developing novel approaches to mitigate arterial stiffness.

• From the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a total of 3,862 adolescents aged 17.7 years, followed-up for 7 years, were analyzed to study the temporal longitudinal links of cfPWV and cIMT with the risk of overweight/obesity and elevated BP/hypertension.

• Risk of increased systolic BP/hypertension (odds ratio, 1.20), increased diastolic BP/hypertension (1.77), body mass index-overweight/obesity (1.19), and trunk fat mass overweight/obesity (1.24) at 24.5 years was observed in relation to higher cfPWV at 17.7 years.

• There was a direct link of cfPWV progression with 7-year elevation in systolic BP (effect estimate 16 mm Hg [9–24]; P<0.0001) and diastolic BP (28 mm Hg [23–34]; P<0.0001).

• cIMT progression was directly related to the 7-year increase of all adiposity measures and diastolic BP.