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Pulse-Wave Velocity, Flow-Mediated Dilation, and Carotid Intima-Media Thickness to Assess Cardiovascular Risk in Population with Metabolic Syndrome
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Pulse wave velocity is more closely associated with cardiovascular risk than augmentation index in the relatively

Bong Gun Song1, Jeong Bae Park, Soo Jin Cho

  • 1Division of Cardiology, Cardiac and Vascular Center, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, #50 Irwon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 135-710, Republic of Korea.

Heart and Vessels
|January 29, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (CFPWV) strongly correlates with cardiovascular risk scores in both men and women. Carotid augmentation index (CAI) shows a weaker association, significant only in women, suggesting sex-specific cardiovascular risk assessment.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Physiology
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Clinical Cardiology

Background:

  • Arterial stiffness, indicated by pulse wave velocity (PWV) and augmentation index (AI), is a key predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality.
  • Carotid augmentation index (CAI) and carotid-femoral PWV (CFPWV) are non-invasive measures of arterial stiffness.
  • The Framingham Risk Score (FRS) is a widely used tool for estimating 10-year CVD risk.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between CAI, CFPWV, and FRS in individuals without significant cardiovascular disease.
  • To identify the primary determinants of CAI and CFPWV in this population.
  • To explore potential sex differences in the relationship between arterial stiffness measures and CVD risk.

Main Methods:

  • Applanation tonometry was used to measure CAI and CFPWV in 177 consecutive subjects.
  • Correlation analyses were performed to assess the relationship between CAI, CFPWV, and FRS.
  • Regression analyses were employed to determine the major factors influencing CAI and CFPWV.

Main Results:

  • A significant positive correlation was found between CFPWV and FRS (r = 0.417, P < 0.001).
  • A weaker but significant correlation was observed between CAI and FRS (r = 0.267, P < 0.001).
  • CFPWV demonstrated a significant association with FRS in both men and women, while CAI's association with FRS was significant only in women.

Conclusions:

  • CFPWV is associated with CVD risk across both sexes.
  • CAI's association with CVD risk appears to be sex-specific, primarily relevant in women.
  • These findings highlight the differential utility of arterial stiffness measures in cardiovascular risk assessment.

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