A cutoff point for arterial stiffness using the cardio-ankle vascular index based on carotid arteriosclerosis

The cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) has been widely accepted as a good indicator of arteriosclerosis. However, the lack of a reliable diagnostic criterion for CAVI hampers the proper clinical screening for arteriosclerosis using CAVI and impedes the prompt treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD). There is an urgent need to determine a criterion for CAVI in arteriosclerosis prevention. We conducted a cross-sectional study to determine this criterion based on receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses in a Chinese population consisting of 328 participants. CAVI was measured in duplicate, and carotid ultrasound detection was performed in a quiet environment by well-trained physicians. After multivariate adjustment, CAVI was positively associated with the risk of carotid arteriosclerosis. Compared with participants in the lowest tertile of CAVI (5.15-7.40), those in the medium (7.41-8.65) and highest (8.66-13.60) tertiles had odds ratios (95% confidence interval) of 2.2 (1.0, 4.9) and 4.4 (1.5, 13.3), respectively, for developing carotid arteriosclerosis (P trend=0.007). The areas under the ROC curve (AUC) of the male, female and pooled populations were 0.789, 0.897 and 0.856, respectively. The cutoff point of CAVI≥8.0 resulted in the largest sensitivity and specificity. Furthermore, CAVI and age acted synergistically to increase the risk of carotid arteriosclerosis. CAVI≥8.0 may be an optimal cutoff point for carotid arteriosclerosis prediction. The older population with higher CAVI scores had a higher risk of carotid arteriosclerosis. Additional large prospective studies are needed to confirm our findings.