Work

Bioimpedance-Derived Phase Angle Was Associated with Faster Blood Pressure Stabilisation Following Orthostatic Challenge in Older Adults

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Phase Angle (PA), derived from bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), is an established indicator of cellular health 1 .Lower PA values have consistently been linked to adverse age-related conditions such as sarcopenia, malnutrition, frailty, and increased mortality 2-5 .Emerging evidence also highlights significant associations between lower PA and elevated cardiovascular risk and systemic inflammation, underscoring its potential role in cardiovascular risk assessment 6,7 .Orthostatic blood pressure (BP) recovery, an indicator of dynamic neurocardiovascular resilience 8 , is similarly important in ageing, with impaired recovery associated with greater risk of falls and mortality 9,10 .Given the overlap between PA and other markers of physiological resilience, it is plausible that higher PA may reflect more efficient cardiovascular adaptation to orthostatic challenge.We hypothesised that individuals with higher PA would exhibit more rapid stabilisation of systolic and diastolic BP after postural change, indicative of more resilient autonomic and cardiovascular function.Adults aged ≥50 years were prospectively recruited between January and November 2022 at the Falls and Syncope Unit (FASU) at St. James's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.The clinical research setting has been described in detail elsewhere 11,12 .Participants were referred for Abstract Phase Angle (PA), derived from bioelectrical impedance analysis, reflects cellular health and may indicate physiological resilience in ageing.We examined the relationship between PA and blood pressure (BP) recovery following an orthostatic challenge in 107 older adults attending a specialist falls clinic.Participants underwent active stand testing with continuous, beat-to-beat BP monitoring over 180 seconds.PA was categorised into tertiles (low, medium, high), and changes in systolic (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were analysed using linear mixedeffects models, adjusted for age, sex, diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular and psychotropic medication use.Compared to the low PA tertile, individuals in the medium and high PA tertiles demonstrated faster recovery in both SBP and DBP during the 10-20 second post-stand period (all p < 0.001).No significant differences were observed in recovery between the 20-30 and 30-40 second intervals.Furthermore, participants in the high PA tertile showed, in contrast to the low PA tertile, full mean BP recovery at 40 seconds, with no further upward trend thereafter (p = 0.001 for SBP, p = 0.005 for DBP).PA could be a simple, non-invasive biomarker of dynamic physiological resilience, potentially identifying older adults at increased risk of early orthostatic haemodynamic instability.

Source: Journal of Frailty Sarcopenia and Falls

DOI: 10.22540/jfsf-10-200

Authors: Román Romero Ortuño, Eoin Duggan

Institutions: Trinity College Dublin, St. James's Hospital

Language: English

Topic: Cardiovascular Syncope and Autonomic Disorders

Subfield: Surgery

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $161