THE INTERRELATION BETWEEN THE INDIVIDUAL MORPHOMETRIC PARAMETERS OF THE ARTERIAL WALL AND THEIR DEPENDENCE ON AGE
Background. Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Therefore, the issue of their prevention remains one of the most acute in medicine. The purpose of the study is to study the features of morphometric parameters of the arterial wall, their relationship and dependence on age. Materials and methods. The carotid arteries obtained from 106 people who died between the ages of 19 and 95 without the chronic diseases detected during life or autopsy, including the cardiovascular diseases, were examined. The individual morphometric indexes are identified that correlate with those used in clinical practice using ultrasound methods. Including external and inner diameters, the cross-sectional area of the arterial wall, the area of the arterial wall by external diameter and inner, the thickness of the intima-media complex, the evaluation of the presence and area of atherosclerotic lesion, Vogenvort index and Kernogan index. The specific volume of media smooth muscle cells and the tortuosity coefficient of the elastic fenestrated membranes were also studied. The arterial staining was performed using hematoxylin-eosin and the Weigert-van Gieson method. Results. The structural changes in the vascular wall are detected at a young age. The thickened intima-media complex was found in 11 % of the younger group (36,57 ± 7,77 years old), and in 36 % of the older group (71,04 ± 13,45 years old). The presence of the atherosclerotic lesions in the younger group was determined in 22 %, in the older group-in 60 %. These markers are correlated in both age groups. The correlations between the individual morphometric indexes were identified in the groups. The area of atherosclerotic lesion ( r = 0,745, p < 0,05) and the cross-sectional area of the arterial wall ( r = 0,684, p < 0,05) showed the high dependence on age. Conclusion. The obtained data confirm that vascular wall remodeling can begin at a young age. The age-related structural changes in the arterial wall should be distinguished from atherosclerotic lesions. However, their early development can lead to the growth of atherosclerotic plaques in the future.