Study of Women's Health Across the Nation - Coordinating Center

University Of Pittsburgh At Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA

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Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This Competitive Revision to U01-AG-12553 proposes to add measures of arterial pulse wave velocity (PWV),a measure of vascular aging to six clinical centers participating in the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN). SWAN is a multi-center, multi-ethnic longitudinal study designed to characterize the physiological and psychosocial changes that occur during the menopausal transition and to observe their effects of subsequent health and risk factors for age-related diseases. The cohort includes 3,302 women from five racial ethnic groups including Caucasian, African American, Hispanic, Chinese, and Japanese. The women are now an average age of 58 years and 90% have achieved their final menstrual period. Thus, the women are positioned at early post-menopause, the time when cardiovascular events begin a rapid rise. The addition of arterial PWV as a functional measure of early vascular aging will be complimentary to the structural information already being collected in the form of common carotid adventitial diameter (AD) and intima-media thickness (IMT). Vascular aging is expected to be related to each ofthe key focus areas of SWAN including physical function, cognitive function, psychosocial measures and bone metabolism as well as future CV events. The addition ofthis measure will allow us to evaluate 1) ethnic difference in early vascular aging and the degree to which risk factors influencing vascular aging differ by ethnicity;2) the extent to which early vascular aging is influenced by reproductive hormones;3) the extent to which early vascular aging is associated with other processes of aging including physical function, cognitive function, emotional health and bone metabolism;4) the association between structural measures of early vascular disease and functional measures of early vascular aging;and finally 5) the extent to which early vascular aging is associated with subsequent clinical outcomes among women in their early postmenopausal years. This information is important because it will allow us to understand globally how vascular aging ties in with age-related disease and disability. RELEVANCE (See instructions): The early postmenopausal years coincide with the time period preceding major disability. This will allow us to understand more about the evolution of disease and disability in women. Because vascular aging underlies many conditions of aging, this study will allow us to identify potential points of intervention that may delay or prevent disease and disability in women.