The association between the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and arterial stiffness in young healthy subjects

Aldosterone might affect arterial stiffening, in both the short- and long-term. We investigated a possible association between excess aldosterone, reflected by an increased aldosterone : renin ratio (ARR) and pulse wave velocity (PWV) in young healthy adults. In a single-centre study, 60 subjects were evaluated for lipid profile, glucose, hs-CRP, renin and aldosterone. PWV was performed as a simple non-invasive recording and computer analysis of the two artery sites pressure waveform using SphygmoCor (version 7.1, AtCor Medical, Sydney, Australia). The ARR was significantly, positively associated with PWV: r = 0.298, P = 0.02. ARR was not associated with anthropometric variables, blood pressure (BP), metabolic and inflammatory parameters. In conclusion, the ARR was significantly associated with PWV and may exhibit direct effects of aldosterone on the vascular wall, which are not related to changes in conventional cardiovascular risk factors.