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Difference in pulse transit time between populations: a comparison between Caucasian and Chinese children in
1Biomedical Engineering Research Centre, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Drive, Research Techno Plaza, 6th Storey, XFrontiers Block, 637553, Singapore. jong@ntu.edu.sg
Insights
Pulse wave velocity (PWV) and pulse transit time (PTT) are key cardiovascular measures. This study found no significant ethnic difference in PTT between Chinese and Caucasian children in the same region, challenging previous findings.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Physiology
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Pulse wave velocity (PWV) assesses arterial stiffness, a factor in hypertension.
- Pulse transit time (PTT), derived from PWV, is increasingly used in pediatric cardiovascular research.
- Prior studies suggest ethnic variations in PWV between Chinese and Caucasian populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate potential differences in pulse transit time (PTT) between healthy Chinese and Caucasian children residing in the same geographic area.
- To explore ethnic variations in arterial stiffness measures within a controlled locality.
Main Methods:
- Recruited 67 healthy children (55 Caucasian, 12 Chinese).
- Measured pulse transit time (PTT) as a proxy for pulse wave velocity (PWV).
- Compared PTT measurements between the two ethnic groups within the same region.
Main Results:
- No statistically significant difference in PTT was observed between the Caucasian and Chinese children.
- The hypothesized ethnic difference in PWV, suggested by previous studies, was not detected in this cohort.
- Preliminary findings indicate PTT measurements did not reveal expected ethnic variations in arterial stiffness.
Conclusions:
- Locality and the inclusion of the pre-ejection period in PTT calculations may explain discrepancies with prior studies.
- Further research is needed to clarify the influence of ethnicity, geography, and measurement components on arterial stiffness indices.
- This study suggests PTT may be less susceptible to ethnic variations than previously assumed when controlling for locality.
Abstract:
Pulse wave velocity (PWV) has shown to be a clinically important physiologic measure in the assessment of increased arterial stiffness that is linked to systolic hypertension. Pulse transit time (PTT), which is based on the principle of PWV, has become popular in childhood cardiovascular studies. A previous study has indicated PWV obtained from a Chinese population tends to be higher than that from their Caucasian counterpart of similar age but of different localities. In this study, 67 healthy children (55 Caucasian and 12 Chinese) were recruited to investigate the possible PTT difference between these two ethnic groups in the same region. However, the hypothesized PWV difference (p < 0.05) between them is not observed here in the corresponding PTT measurements (time-related PWV equivalent). Hence, preliminary results suggest that locality or inclusion of pre-ejection period, which forms the major component of the PTT measurement, may contribute to this discrepancy.
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