The Relation of Pulse Pressure to Insulin-like Growth Factor (IGF)-1

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Pulse pressure, a clinical marker of arterial stiffness, is an independent and strong predictor of cardiovascular disease, and reflects aging of arterial system. It is a well known fact that serum IGF-1 level is a parameter of growth hormone (GH) secretion and decreased GH secretion is related to aging. The aim of this study was to find out if there was any correlation between pulse pressure and IGF-1 concentration. METHODS: By reviewing the medical records of a hospital in Korea, healthy 194 men and 180 women were studied. We measured serum IGF-1, triglyceride, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol concentrations and fasting blood sugar (FBS). Also, anthropometric and blood pressure measurements were performed. RESULTS: In men, the pulse pressure was positively correlated with age (r=0.29, P<0.001), systolic blood pressure (SBP) (r=0.70, P<0.001), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (r=0.22, P=0.003), and body mass index (BMI) (r= 0.28, P<0.001) and inversely with IGF-1 levels (r=-0.27, P<0.001). In women, pulse pressure was positively levels with SBP (r=0.28, P<0.001), BMI (r=0.27, P<0.001), triglyceride (r=0.19, p=0.011), total cholesterol (r=0.15, P=0.049) levels, and FBS (r=0.17, P=0.027) and was not correlated with age, DBP, and serum IGF-1 levels. After adjustment for age, BMI, triglyceride, total cholesterol, and FBS, the pulse pressure was independently negatively correlated with serum IGF-1 levels (beta=-6.052, P=0.007) in men. The multiple regression analysis showed that serum IGF-1 levels (R2=0.04) was the third most powerful factor influencing the pulse pressure. CONCLUSION: There was as independent negative correlation between the pulse pressure and serum IGF-1 levels in healthy men.