Cardiff University | Prifysgol Caerdydd ORCA
Online Research @ Cardiff 
WelshClear Cookie - decide language by browser settings

Cerebrovascular variants and the role of the selfish brain in young-onset hypertension

Manghat, Nathan E., Robinson, Elizabeth, Mitrousi, Konstantina, Rodrigues, Jonathan C.L., Hinton, Thomas, Paton, Julian F.R., Wise, Richard G. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1700-2144, Nightingale, Angus K. and Hart, Emma C. 2022. Cerebrovascular variants and the role of the selfish brain in young-onset hypertension. Hypertension 79 (6) , pp. 1265-1274. 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.121.18612

[thumbnail of Wise. Cerebrovascular Variants and the Role. pub.pdf]
Preview
PDF - Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution.

Download (603kB) | Preview

Abstract

Background: Variants in the posterior anatomy of the cerebral circulation are associated with hypertension and lower cerebral blood flow in midlife (age ≈55 years); however, whether these variants are a result of aging or long-term exposure to high blood pressure is unclear. Additionally, the role these variants play in early onset of hypertension (<40 years) and poor cerebral perfusion in this population is unknown. Methods: We retrospectively examined whether specific cerebrovascular variants (vertebral artery hypoplasia and absent/hypoplastic posterior communicating arteries (an incomplete posterior circle of Willis) measured via magnetic resonance angiography) were associated with a diagnosis of hypertension in 220 young adults (<40 years; n=164 primary hypertensive [mean age±SD, 32±6 years] and n=56 [30±6 years] normotensive adults). Whether cerebrovascular variants were associated with lower cerebral blood flow (phase-contrast angiography) was measured in the hypertensive group only (n=146). Results: Binary logistic regression (adjusted for age, sex, and body mass index) showed that vertebral artery hypoplasia with an incomplete posterior circle of Willis was associated with hypertension diagnosis (P<0.001, odds ratio; 11.79 [95% CI, 3.34–41.58]). Vertebral artery hypoplasia plus an incomplete circle of Willis was associated with lower cerebral blood flow in young adults with hypertension (P=0.0172). Conclusions: Vertebral artery hypoplasia plus an incomplete posterior circle of Willis independently predicts hypertension in young adults suggesting that this variant is not acquired with aging into midlife. Importantly this variant combination was associated with lower cerebral perfusion, which may have long-term consequences on cerebrovascular health in young adults with hypertension.

Item Type: Article
Date Type: Publication
Status: Published
Schools: Psychology
Additional Information: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided that the original work is properly cited.
Publisher: American Heart Association
ISSN: 0194-911X
Date of First Compliant Deposit: 14 April 2022
Date of Acceptance: 15 February 2022
Last Modified: 18 May 2023 20:14
URI: https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/149205

Citation Data

Cited 1 time in Scopus. View in Scopus. Powered By Scopus® Data

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item Edit Item

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

View more statistics