Arterial stiffnes and adipokines in the elderly

High blood levels of leptin and low blood levels of adiponectin are indipendent predictors of cardiovascular risk. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between adipokines and arterial stiffness in a group of 85 elderly people and the independent role of leptin and adiponectin on subclinical vascular damage, defined by a PWV>12m/s. In each subject we evaluated anthropometric variables, body composition by DXA (fat mass, fat mass%, lean mass),metabolic variables, adipkines (leptin and adiponectin), systolic, diastolic, mean and pulse pressure (SBP, DBP, MAP, PP), pulse wave velocity carotid-femoral and carotid-radial (PWVcf, PWVcr). The study population was subdivided in two subgroups according to adipokynes’ pattern: group 1 included patients with high adiponectin and low leptin, group 2 those with high leptin and low adiponectin. SBP, PP, PWVcf were significantly higher in subjects with high leptin and low adiponectin. Even after adjustement for gender, fat mass%, PAM, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides, PWVcf was higher in group 1 than group 2. In a logistic binary regression on the entire population, considering subclinic vascular damage as dipendent variable and age, gender, PAM, fat mass%, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol and category of subjects with high leptin and low adiponectin as independent variables PAMand category of subjects with high leptin and low adiponectin were significant predictors with OR respectively 1,09 and 9,54. In conclusion, in the elderly the presence at the same time of high level of leptin and low level of adiponectin seems to have synergic effect on arterial stiffness.