Background: Metabolic syndrome is a frequent late effect in young adults after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) performed in childhood.
Methods: To further study the signs of cardiovascular changes in HSCT patients, we performed noninvasive vascular ultrasonic measurements of arterial stiffness and endothelial function in 25 children (median age: 11.2 y) and in 22 healthy matched controls.
Results: The distensibility of the common carotid artery (CCA) was significantly lower in the patients than in the controls (mean = 0.48, SD = 0.19 vs. mean = 0.64 mm Hg(-1) × 10(-2), SD = 0.28; P = 0.024). The distensibility decreased with time passed after HSCT (P = 0.009). The compliance of the CCA was decreased (mean = 0.10, SD = 0.04 vs. mean = 0.13 mm(2) × mm Hg(-1), SD = 0.05; P = 0.041), and the incremental elastic modulus (E inc) was higher in the patients than in the controls (mean = 2.05, SD = 0.7 vs. mean = 1.6 mm × 10(3), SD = 0.6; P = 0.019). E inc was associated with time passed after HSCT (P = 0.036). The size of the brachial artery and flow-mediated dilation did not differ between the groups.
Conclusion: Early mechanical changes of the arterial wall were found at young age after HSCT. Ultrasonography may offer a noninvasive method to find early alterations of the vascular bed and to optimize prevention of atherosclerosis in HSCT patients.