ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: to identify early markers of development of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Female firstdegree relatives from 39 families formed 2 groups: families (n=19) containing mothers with arterial hypertension (AH) (group 1) and healthy daughters (group 1a); families (n=20) containing practically heathy mothers (group 2) and healthy daughters (group 2a). We assessed data of anamnesis, including registration of cardiovascular risk factors, and family history of CVD. Examination included registration of anthropometric parameters, automatic and manual measurement of intima-media thickness (IMT) and resistance indexes of brachiocephalic arteries (BCA). We also determined cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI), ankle-brachial index (ABI), and measured magnitude of ß-adrenoreception of membranes (ß-ARM) of erythrocytes in micro-quantities of venous blood. RESULTS: Mothers in both groups of families had excessive body mass or obesity. Mothers of group 1 had more pronounced signs of abdominal obesity (AO). They also had abnormalities of IMT and sings of subclinical atherosclerosis of BCA. CAVI in this group was significantly higher than in group 2. In group 1a median BMI (25.5 kg/m2) and waist/hip ratio were significantly higher than in group 2a. Daughters of group 1a contrary to group 2a had abnormalities of vascular wall: increased automatically measured IMT of carotid arteries and elevated CAVI. Arterial pressure and heart rate (HR) in group 1a were within limits of physiological norm but significantly higher than in group 2a. All included women had elevated ß-ARM values but in group 1a this parameter was significantly higher than in group 2a and moderately correlated with HR. CONCLUSIONS: Risk factors of CVD development in women are AH, AO, high activity of the sympathoadrenal system. These factors provoke changes of vascular wall (elevation of its stiffness and early subclinical atherosclerosis). In daughters of mothers with AH important prognostic components of CVD risk in addition to family history of CVD are AO, systolic blood pressure (BP) >120 mm Hg, diastolic BP >78 mm Hg, HR approaching upper limit of physiological norm, and high CAVI (indicator of vascular wall stiffness).
