GENDER DISPARITIES IN HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS ACROSS THE LIFETIME: AN AGE-STRATIFIED ANALYSIS

Objective This study aims to explore the influence of gender on vascular and renal damage across distinct age brackets. In particular, investigates the intricate interplay between gender, aging and the onset of vascular and renal injuries. Additionally, the study incorporates an examination of the Triglyceride-Glucose (TYG) index, a surrogate indicator of insulin resistance, to discern its role in clarifying gender-specific variations in health outcomes across different life stages. This analysis aims to enhance our comprehension of age-specific vulnerabilities and contribute valuable insights to the field of gender-related health research. Design and method We selected 210 Caucasian patients, all affected by hypertension, and we divided them previously in two groups, male and female, and in each group we splitted 3 clusters based on their age (under 50, 50 to 70 and over 70 years old). All patients underwent a comprehensive physical examination, with systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate (HR). Blood samples obtained from all patients were analyzed for the complete blood count, low/high density lipoproteins and triglycerides, glycaemia and renal function, including albuminuria and proteinuria. Moreover, all patients went through ankle-brachial index (ABI) and pulse wave velocity. Lastly we calculated the TYG index of all patients. Results Regardless of the well-known correlation between TYG index and hypertension, we found that there was no gender difference between the TyG index and gender or aging. Moreover, no differences were underlined among vascular and renal injuries, neither changes in aortic stiffness were associated to gender but to age-related effects Conclusions Despite what expected, the menopausal transition was not associated with a higher renal or vascular damage, nor to a higher risk of insulin resistance. Large-scale prospective cohort studies are needed to validate these findings, also detecting the influence of gender and aging on heart damage