Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 3, 2026
Measuring the Carotid to Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity Cf-PWV to Evaluate Arterial Stiffness
Published on: May 3, 2018
Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 and arterial stiffness evaluation in patients with inflammatory bowel
Eleni Theocharidou1, Constantinos C Tellis2, Melachrini Mavroudi3
12nd Propaedeutic Department of Internal Medicine, Hippokration General Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Insights
This study found lower lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients, but no difference in arterial stiffness (PWV). Crohn's disease patients showed higher PWV, linked to smoking, challenging a direct IBD-cardiovascular disease link.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular disease research
- Gastroenterology
- Inflammatory bowel disease research
Background:
- The link between inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is unclear.
- Arterial stiffness (pulse wave velocity, PWV) and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) are indicators of CVD risk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate carotid-femoral PWV and Lp-PLA2 levels in IBD patients without a prior history of CVD.
- To compare these markers between Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) patients and healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- Assessed CVD risk factors, IBD characteristics, PWV, and Lp-PLA2 activity in 44 IBD patients (29 CD, 15 UC) and 44 matched controls.
- Analyzed data to identify factors associated with PWV and Lp-PLA2, including smoking and LDL-C levels.
Main Results:
- IBD patients exhibited lower total and LDL cholesterol. No significant difference in PWV was observed between IBD patients and controls.
- Crohn's disease patients had higher PWV than UC patients and controls, correlating with higher smoking rates.
- Lp-PLA2 activity was significantly lower in IBD patients compared to controls, with LDL-C being the primary predictor.
Conclusions:
- Lower Lp-PLA2 in IBD patients is associated with reduced LDL-C, not necessarily increased CVD risk.
- Findings suggest arterial stiffness in CD may be driven by lifestyle factors like smoking, rather than IBD itself.
- The study challenges a direct association between IBD and CVD, but further investigation is warranted.
Background And Aims:
The association between inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains equivocal. Arterial stiffness, as assessed by pulse wave velocity (PWV), and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) are surrogates of CVD risk.
Aim:
The aim of this study was to assess carotid-femoral PWV and Lp-PLA2 in patients with IBD without history of CVD.
Methods:
Established CVD risk factors, IBD characteristics, PWV and Lp-PLA2 activity were assessed in 44 patients with IBD, 29 with Crohn's disease (CD) and 15 with ulcerative colitis (UC), and 44 matched controls.
Results:
IBD patients had lower total and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. There was no difference in PWV between patients and controls (6.8 vs. 6.4m/s), but patients with CD had higher PWV compared to those with UC (7 vs. 6.3m/s; p=0.044), and to controls. Smoking rates were significantly higher among CD patients. Factors associated with PWV were age, mean arterial pressure and smoking. Lp-PLA2 activity was significantly lower in patients with IBD (46.8 vs. 53.9 nmol/mL/min; p=0.011). There was no difference in Lp-PLA2 between CD and UC patients. LDL-C was the only significant predictor of Lp-PLA2.
Conclusions:
Our study showed lower Lp-PLA2 activity in patients with IBD compared with controls, reflecting lower LDL-C in the former. There was no difference in PWV between the two groups. Arterial stiffness was higher in patients with CD, which is likely related to higher smoking rates. These findings challenge a possible association between IBD and CVD, but further studies are required.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Peripheral Artery Disease I: Introduction
01:21Peripheral Arterial Disease II: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Evaluation
01:38Inflammation
01:25Inflammatory Bowel Disease III: Crohn's Disease
01:20Inflammatory Bowel Disease II: Ulcerative Colitis
01:30Inflammatory Bowel Disease III: Diagnostic Studies and Management I-Nutritional Therapy
Diagnostic studies
A colonoscopy is the definitive screening test, distinguishing ulcerative colitis from other colon diseases with similar symptoms. During a colonoscopy test, inflamed mucosa with exudate ulcerations can be observed, and biopsies are taken to determine the histologic characteristics of the...