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Updated: May 8, 2026
Measuring the Carotid to Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity (Cf-PWV) to Evaluate Arterial Stiffness
Published on: May 3, 2018
Assessment of arterial stiffness in patients with inactive and active Behçet's disease
1Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Selcuk University , Konya , Turkey.
Insights
Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is elevated in active Behçet's disease (BD), indicating increased arterial stiffness. This suggests active inflammation impacts vascular health in BD patients.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Rheumatology
- Vascular Biology
Background:
- Behçet's disease (BD) is a systemic vasculitis affecting various blood vessels.
- Assessing vascular function is crucial for understanding BD's systemic impact.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between central blood pressures, pulse wave velocity (PWV), and biochemical markers in active and inactive BD.
- To compare vascular parameters between BD patients and healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- 96 BD patients (active and inactive phases) and 54 controls were enrolled.
- Vascular measurements utilized a Mobil-O-Graph 24-h PWA Monitor.
- Standard questionnaires and laboratory parameters were assessed.
Main Results:
- Higher 24-h, daytime, and nighttime PWV in active BD versus inactive BD (p < 0.05).
- 24-h PWV positively correlated with age and BD duration.
- Elevated cardiac output and daytime diastolic blood pressure in BD patients compared to controls (p < 0.05).
Conclusions:
- Increased PWV in active BD suggests heightened arterial stiffness due to inflammation.
- Further large-scale studies are needed to validate these findings on vascular changes in Behçet's disease.
Objectives:
Behçet's disease (BD) is a systemic vasculitis involving diverse sizes of arteries and veins. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between central blood pressures, pulse wave velocity (PWV) measurements, and biochemical parameters in patients with inactive and active BD and control subjects.
Method:
Ninety-six patients with BD were recruited in this study. Each subject was evaluated in active and inactive disease periods. For the control group, 54 healthy age- and sex-matched subjects were enrolled. All patients completed a standard questionnaire form and various laboratory parameters were evaluated. Vascular measurements were performed with a Mobil-O-Graph 24-h PWA Monitor, an automatic oscillometric device.
Results:
According to the vascular function parameters of patients with active and inactive BD, 24-h, day, and night PWV values were higher in patients with active BD than in patients with inactive BD (p < 0.05). When we performed a linear regression analysis, 24-h PWV was positively correlated with age and duration of BD. Cardiac output (CO) values and day central diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were higher in patients with BD than in the control group (p < 0.05).
Conclusions:
PWV values were higher in patients with active BD than in patients with inactive BD. This may be explained by more prominent inflammatory changes in the vascular wall in the active disease period. Further studies in large populations are required to confirm our results.
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