Predictive value of brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity for cardiovascular events

The aim of this study was to determine the association of pulse wave velocity or left ventricular diastolic function with the development of cardiovascular (CV) events.

Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and E/E' were analyzed in 185 patients. The primary end point was CV events including ischemic stroke, coronary arterial disease (CAD), peripheral arterial disease and aortic dissection.

There were 30 CV events during a mean follow-up period of 19.8 months. When the baPWV cutoff level was set to 1704 cm/s using the receiver operating characteristic curve, the sensitivity was 70/92% and the specificity 63/62% for differentiating between the group with and without CV events or ischemic stroke. In univariate analysis with the Cox proportional hazard model, higher baPWV was a predictor for CV events and ischemic stroke events. However, high E/E' (>15) was not a predictor for CV, ischemic stroke events or CAD. A higher baPWV was an independent predictor for CV and ischemic stroke risk after adjusting for age, sex, hypertension and diabetes in the Cox proportional hazard analysis. In subgroup analysis, diabetic patients with a baPWV >1704 cm/s had a high CV event and ischemic stroke risk.

The results of this study show that higher baPWV was a predictive marker for CV events, especially ischemic stroke. The subgroup analysis suggests that antiplatelet therapy may be needed in diabetic patients with a high baPWV for prevention of ischemic stroke.