Associations Between Early Vascular Aging and Quality of Life in the Adult Population: Pooled Data From 2 Epidemiological Studies

BACKGROUND: Early vascular aging (EVA) is associated with increased cardiovascular risk and poor health-related quality of life. The extent to which EVA affects the physical and mental components of quality of life across different age groups remains insufficiently described. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to analyze the associations between EVA and the physical and mental components of quality of life and examine global associations and age-stratified differences. METHODS: A total of 583 participants from the EVasCu and VascuNet cohorts were analyzed. EVA was defined as a construct integrating 4 parameters (aortic pulse wave velocity, a-PWV; pulse pressure; glycosylated hemoglobin A1c, HbA1c; and advanced glycation end products, AGEs). Distance to healthy vascular aging (HVA) and the EVA/HVA ratio were computed. Health-related quality of life was assessed using the 12-item short form health survey. RESULTS: Physical quality of life was negatively correlated with EVA risk (r = -0.209; P = .001) and the distance to HVA (r = -0.240; P < .001) and positively correlated with the EVA/HVA ratio (r = 0.168; P < .001). Mental quality of life was negatively correlated with the EVA/HVA ratio (r = -0.095; P = .022). Significant differences in physical quality of life were found by EVA/HVA ratio in people aged 25-60 (P = .008) and >60 (P = .036). CONCLUSIONS: Vascular deterioration is related to physical health and perceived emotional well-being, reinforcing the usefulness of the EVA model as a comprehensive marker of vascular aging. These findings suggest that individuals' perceptions of their physical and mental health are closely associated with EVA risk.