African-American ethnicity and cardiovascular risk factors are related to aortic pulse-wave velocity progression

Accelerated central arterial stiffening as represented by progression of aortic pulse-wave velocity (PWV) may be influenced by cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. Little is known about the relationships between CVD risk factors and PWV progression among women transitioning through the menopause, or whether these relationships vary by ethnicity.

We conducted a subgroup analysis of 303 African-American and Caucasian participants in the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN) Heart Study which received PWV scans at baseline examination and at a follow-up examination at an average of 2.3 years later. CVD risk factors were also assessed at baseline.

Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and waist circumference were the strongest predictors of PWV progression, after adjustment for age, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, diastolic blood pressure (DBP), glucose, and triglyceride levels. The magnitude of the influence of SBP, DBP, LDL-C, and glucose on PWV progression varied by ethnicity (difference in slopes: P = 0.02 for SBP, P = 0.0009 for DBP, P = 0.005 for LDL-C, and P = 0.02 for glucose). The positive relationship between SBP and PWV progression was significant among women of both ethnicities. LDL-C, DBP, and, to a lesser extent, glucose levels were positively associated with PWV progression only among African Americans.

Blood pressure, LDL-C, glucose, and excess body size may be important targets for improving vascular health and preventing clinical outcomes related to arterial stiffening, particularly among African-American women.