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Reduced small artery but not large artery elasticity is an independent risk marker for cardiovascular events

Elizabeth Grey1, Chris Bratteli, Stephen P Glasser

  • 1Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455, USA.

American Journal of Hypertension
|April 3, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Reduced elasticity in small arteries, a marker of endothelial dysfunction, predicts cardiovascular events. This finding holds true even when accounting for a patient's age.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Research
  • Vascular Biology
  • Biomedical Engineering

Background:

  • Atherosclerosis involves arterial wall changes, endothelial dysfunction, and altered arterial stiffness.
  • Pulse contour analysis assesses large conduit (C(1)) and small microcirculatory (C(2)) artery elasticity.
  • This study investigates the predictive value of arterial elasticity for cardiovascular events.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the predictive value of reduced large (C(1)) and small (C(2)) artery elasticity for cardiovascular events.
  • To determine if arterial elasticity measurements can identify individuals at higher risk for adverse cardiovascular outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Radial artery pulse wave analysis was performed on 870 subjects between 1993-1999.
  • A noninvasive sensor, parameter estimating algorithm, and modified Windkessel model were used.
  • Follow-up questionnaires collected data on cardiovascular events from 419 participants.

Main Results:

  • 41% of subjects reported at least one cardiovascular event.
  • Reduced C(2) (small artery elasticity) was a significant independent predictor of events (OR 1.50, P <.001) after adjusting for age.
  • Reduced C(1) (large artery elasticity) was not a significant predictor after age adjustment.

Conclusions:

  • Reduced small artery elasticity is a significant predictor of cardiovascular events.
  • Small artery elasticity serves as a measurable indicator of endothelial dysfunction.
  • Arterial stiffness, specifically in smaller vessels, is a key factor in cardiovascular event risk, independent of age.
Abstract

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