Glucose‐6‐Phosphate Dehydrogenase Modifies the Impact of Glucose on Arterial Aging in A Sex‐Specific Manner

Journal of the American Heart Association, Volume 15, Issue 9 , May 5, 2026. BackgroundAn association between glucose‐6‐phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (G6PDdef) and arterial stiffness has cross sectionally been reported in diabetic, but not in nondiabetic, subjects in Sardinia.

The aims of the present longitudinal study were to evaluate: (1) sex differences in the influence of G6PDdef on trajectory of arterial stiffness; (2) the impact of hyperglycemia on trajectory of arterial stiffness; and (3) mechanistic pathways underlying this influence.MethodsIn the Sardinia Study, repeated measurements of pulse‐wave velocity were analyzed to characterize trajectories of arterial stiffness in >4000 men and women, aged 20 to 100 years, during a 9.4‐year follow‐up.ResultsIn men with high glucose, G6PDdef was associated with a steeper longitudinal increase in pulse‐wave velocity (yearly change: 12.5 versus 6.9 cm/s in those without G6PDdef). In contrast, in women with high glucose, the longitudinal change is not influenced by the presence or absence of G6PDdef (yearly change: 4.5 cm/s in both groups).