Objective: To characterize gender differences in clinical and vascular parameters in treated hypertensive patients with increased vascular age.

Methods: Hypertensive patients, both genders, aged 30–74 years, were included. Brachial flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) were evaluated, CfPWV was normalized by mean BP (cfPWV-N). Vascular age was calculated according to Framingham Heart Study. The median of vascular age was 76 years, and subjects were divided into four groups: women with lower vascular age (LVA, <76 years, n=50) or higher vascular age (HVA, ≥76 years, n=82), men with LVA (n=26) or HVA (n=27).

Results: LVA men presented greater systolic BP (143±15 vs 132±16 mmHg, p<0.01) compared to LVA women, but no difference between gender was observed in HVA groups (154±15 vs 152±17 mmHg) and diastolic BP was similar in LVA (88±10 vs 88±13 mmHg) and in HVA (89±10 vs 92±14 mmHg) groups. Men with HVA presented greater cfPWV (12±2 vs 10±2 m/s, p<0.05), cfPWV-N (11±2 vs 9±2 m/s, p<0.05) compared to HVA women. FMD was significantly reduced in women when compared LVA and HVA groups (11±7 vs 6±5 %, p=0.003), but no significant difference was noted in men due to reduced values even in LVA group (8±5 vs 6±5 %, p=0.766).

Conclusion: In this population of treated hypertensive patients, endothelial dysfunction developed earlier in men than in women, and vascular stiffness was more exacerbated in men with higher vascular age, showing more premature and advanced vascular disease in this gender.