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Published on: December 2, 2014
Relationship between aortic atherosclerosis and non-invasive measures of arterial stiffness
Ghazanfar Qureshi1, Richard Brown, Louis Salciccioli
1State University of New York, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY 11203-2098, USA.
Insights
Aortic atherosclerosis and stiffness are linked in middle-aged adults. Increased aortic intima-media thickness (MAIMT) correlates with higher augmentation index (AI) and age, suggesting interconnected cardiovascular risk factors.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Vascular Biology
- Diagnostic Imaging
Background:
- Arterial stiffness and atherosclerosis are significant risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
- Understanding the interplay between these factors is crucial for risk stratification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between aortic atherosclerosis and aortic stiffness.
- To determine if aortic atherosclerosis, measured by maximal aortic intima-media thickness (MAIMT), is associated with aortic stiffness parameters.
Main Methods:
- Eighty-one patients underwent transesophageal echocardiography to measure MAIMT.
- Aortic stiffness was assessed using applanation tonometry to measure augmentation index (AI) and pulse wave velocity (PWV).
- Multivariate regression analysis was employed to identify independent predictors of MAIMT.
Main Results:
- MAIMT showed a significant positive correlation with AI (r=0.35, p=0.002) and age (r=0.36, p=0.001).
- No significant correlation was found between MAIMT and aortic pulse pressure (A-PP) or PWV.
- Multivariate analysis confirmed that AI and age were independently associated with MAIMT.
Conclusions:
- In this predominantly African-American, middle-aged cohort, structural aortic atherosclerosis and aortic stiffness (measured by AI) are interrelated and age-dependent.
- These findings highlight the interconnectedness of atherosclerosis and stiffness in the aorta, independent of age.
Abstract:
Both increased arterial stiffness and atherosclerosis are risk factors for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. We studied the relationship between aortic atherosclerosis, assessed by measuring maximal aortic intima-media thickness (MAIMT) on transesophageal echocardiography and aortic stiffness, measured by applanation tonometry. Eighty-one patients (28 men, 53 women, mean age 61+/-13 years) referred for transesophageal echocardiography were studied. Augmentation index (AI) and carotid-radial pulse (PWV) wave velocity were measured using a SphygmoCor tonometer (Atcor Med., Australia). MAIMT was correlated with AI and age (r=0.35, p=0.002 and r=0.36, p=0.001), respectively. There were no relations between MAIMT and either aortic pulse pressure (A-PP) (r=0.10, p=0.35) or PVW (r=-0.38, p=0.76). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that AI and age were independently related to MAIMT. In this middle-aged predominantly African-American population structural aortic atherosclerosis and aortic stiffness as measured by AI are age dependent and are inter-related, independent of age.
