Saeed S, Waje-Andreassen U, Naess H, et al. - This study’s findings demonstrate that higher age was associated with increased arterial stiffness for patients up to age 44 years, and with carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) in middle-aged patients among ischemic stroke patients < 60 years. The results revealed that 24-h pulse pressure was correlated with arterial stiffness, and 24-h diastolic BP was associated with cIMT only in middle-aged patients.

• Researchers prospectively included a total of 385 acute ischemic stroke patients (aged 49.6±9.7 years, 68% men) and grouped in younger (15–44 years, n = 93) and middle-aged (45–60 years, n = 292).

• They assessed arterial stiffness by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV), and cIMT by carotid ultrasound.

• They further recorded 24-h ambulatory blood pressure. In middle-aged stroke patients, there was a higher prevalence of smoking, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, and hypercholesterolemia, and had higher PWV and cIMT (all p < .05).

• It was shown that 1SD (4.4 years) higher age was correlated with higher PWV (β = 0.44,R2 = 0.46, p < .001) in the younger group, and with higher mean cIMT (β = 0.16, R2 = 0.21, p = .01) in the middle-aged group in multivariable linear regression analyses adjusted for gender, BMI, smoking, diabetes mellitus, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, eGFR, systolic BP and concomitant antihypertensive treatment.

• The results showed that 24-h pulse pressure had a significant relationship with PWV (β = 0.18, R2 = 0.19, p = .009) in the middle-aged group, while the association with cIMT was attenuated (β = 0.13, R2 = 0.16, p = .065).

• In the middle-aged group, 24-h diastolic BP was correlated with higher cIMT (β = 0.24, p < .001, R2 = 0.23), but not with PWV in either age groups.