Gender-ethnic differences in increased arterial pulse pressure among young adults

Purpose Arterial stiffness (AS) can be measured in a variety of invasive and noninvasive techniques. AS is most frequently seen among older adults as it is considered a sign of aging. Hence, AS studies are sparse among young adults of different ethnic backgrounds. A common, noninvasive, surrogate measure of AS is arterial pulse pressure (APP). The objective of this study was to assess if ethnic differences in APP exist among young adults. Methods College students attending an urban university in Florida were examined cross-sectionally in 2002. Data were initially collected to assess the Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors among tri-ethnic population. Students of both genders belonging to one of the three ethnic groups (Hispanic, Black not of Hispanic origin, or White not of Hispanic origin) were included in the study. Data collection was performed via several self-administered questionnaires (e.g. Food Frequency, Cardiac Risk Evaluation), measurements of blood pressure (BP), body composition via Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA), and blood lipid and homocysteine (Hcy) levels. APP is derived mathematically as the difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Results There were a total of 300 subjects in the current analyses. Mean age (years) and standard deviation (SD) of the subjects was 20.89 ± 3.75. Gender and ethnic breakdown of the study sample were as follows: 150 subjects in each gender group and 100 subjects in each ethnic group. The mean (mmHg) difference between males (43.11 ± 6.13) and females (40.80±8.01) was statistically significant (p < 0.05). However, ethnic differences were not significant with 41.75±7.65, 41.00±7.69 and 43.12±7.27 for Hispanic, Black not of Hispanic origin, and White not of Hispanic origin respectively. Conclusions The public health implication derived from a better understanding of the etiologic role of arterial stiffness in cardiovascular disease would be considerable and would play an important role in the prevention of hypertension in later life.