Vascular Aging and Microcirculation: Physiological Aspects of Vascular Aging in the Elderly Population (VAMP-Aging)

Vascular Aging and Microcirculation: Physiological Aspects of Vascular Aging in the Elderly Population (VAMP-Aging)

Rising life expectancy worldwide challenges public health due to increased cardiovascular disease linked to vascular aging, where microvascular dysfunction serves as an early indicator of system-wide inflammation, or "inflammaging". The proposed study aims to validate non-invasive, high-resolution techniques, such as Laser Speckle Contrast Imaging, to identify early endothelial senescence biomarkers and map their correlation with metabolic, inflammatory, and anthropometric profiles to advance personalized, preventive translational medicine.

An observational, cross-sectional study will be conducted, including volunteers aged ≥ 60 years, divided into two groups: elderly (60-80 years) and very elderly (>80). Young volunteers aged between 20 and 40 years, already participants in previous studies, whose demographic and microcirculation data are in the research laboratory's database, will be included as controls. Data from the control group will be obtained from an institutional database, respecting confidentiality and anonymization, in accordance with current ethical standards.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Absence of symptoms and history of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
• Baseline blood pressure levels within the normal range (< 140/90 mmHg, according to WHO criteria) and absence of use of antihypertensive medications.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Diabetes Mellitus: Fasting blood glucose ≥ 126 mg/dL or use of hypoglycemic agents.
• Smoking: Active or quit less than 5 years ago.
• Inflammatory Diseases: Autoimmune diseases, active neoplasms, or acute infectious processes.
• Surgery or trauma in the last 60 days.
• Renal Dysfunction: Chronic renal failure (estimated by eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73m²).
• Medication Use: Chronic use of corticosteroids, immunosuppressants, or drugs with direct action on vascular reactivity (e.g., continuous use of nitrates).