The supernova phenomenon in survivors of the leningrad siege

Objective: The SUPERNOVA phenomenon as a protective phenotype is hypothesized to prevent vascular aging and therefore protect against adverse cardiovascular events. The aim of our study was to determine prevalence of SUPERNOVA in a unique cohort Survivors of the Leningrad Siege. Design and method: We assembled a cohort of 232 residents of besieged Leningrad aged 71-92 years. Anthropometry, blood pressure (BP) measurement, biochemical blood tests were performed. The arterial stiffness was assessed with SphygmoCor, through measurment of the pulse wave velocity (PWV). Based on the age-appropriate reference PWV values for subjects over 70 years old,we isolated the SUPERNOVA phenotype if the PWV value was less than the 10th percentile for this age group(PWV less or equal 7.9 m/s). Statistical analysis was performed with IBM SPSS Statistics 26.0. Results: 28 (10,7%) Siege survivors- 7 men (25.9%) and 21 women (74.1%) had the SUPERNOVA phenomenon, others formed control group (204) which was comparable by age and gender. Due to the significant difference in body mass index (BMI) between groups comparative analysis of the phenotypic features was adjusted for BMI. Table1. Clinical and laboratory parameters comparision between SUPERNOVA and other vascular phenotypes Conclusions: Despite malnutrition in early stage of life and lifetime exposure to risk factors,10.7 % of Leningrad Siege survivors had supernormal vascular aging at advanced. Lower blood pressure and body mass index burden was observed as factors associated with supernormal vascular aging in the cohort of Siege survivors.