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Updated: Apr 28, 2026
Measuring the Carotid to Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity Cf-PWV to Evaluate Arterial Stiffness
Published on: May 3, 2018
Mean platelet volume and arterial stiffness in patients with acromegaly
Mustafa Unübol1, Engin Güney, Mevlüt Türe
1Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Faculty of Medicine, Adnan Menderes University; Aydın-Turkey. drmunubol@yahoo.com.tr.
Insights
Patients with acromegaly show increased arterial stiffness and mean platelet volume (MPV), suggesting a higher cardiovascular disease risk. Further research into these markers could aid in risk assessment for acromegaly patients.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Hematology
Background:
- Acromegaly is associated with cardiovascular complications, but data on atherosclerotic heart disease risk remain contradictory.
- Arterial stiffness precedes atherosclerosis and is a recognized cardiovascular risk factor.
- Mean platelet volume (MPV) is emerging as a novel cardiovascular risk marker.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate arterial stiffness and MPV in patients with acromegaly.
- To explore the relationship between MPV, arterial stiffness, and disease activity in acromegaly.
Main Methods:
- An observational, cross-sectional, case-controlled study.
- Recruited 28 acromegaly patients and 22 healthy controls.
- Measured arterial stiffness via aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) using oscillometric device; analyzed MPV.
Main Results:
- Acromegaly patients exhibited significantly higher aortic PWV (6.41 ± 2.12 m/s) compared to controls (5.24 ± 1.04 m/s; p=0.03).
- Mean MPV was significantly elevated in acromegaly patients (9.68 ± 1.11) versus controls (8.53 ± 1.18; p=0.004).
- A positive correlation was observed between MPV and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-1) levels in acromegaly patients (p=0.021).
Conclusions:
- Patients with active acromegaly demonstrate increased aortic PWV and MPV.
- Elevated MPV and arterial stiffness may indicate heightened cardiovascular disease risk in acromegaly.
- MPV and arterial stiffness warrant further investigation as potential biomarkers for cardiovascular risk in acromegaly.
Objective:
There are still contradictory data in the literature whether patients with acromegaly are under risk in terms of atherosclerotic heart disease. Increased arterial stiffness develops before atherosclerosis and is evaluated to be a risk factor for atherosclerosis. Mean platelet volume (MPV) is currently gaining interest as a new independent cardiovascular risk factor. There are contrasting views about arterial stiffness in patients with acromegaly. There is no report in literature studying MPV in acromegaly patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate MPV and arterial stiffness in patients with acromegaly.
Methods:
This study was designed as an observational cross-sectional, case-controlled study. Twenty-eight patients with acromegaly and 22 healthy volunteers were recruited for the study. The arteriography device Mobil-O-Graph® (IEM GmbH. Stolberg, Germany) which can perform oscillometric measurements was used to measure arterial stiffness. The Mann-Whitney U test, Student's t-test, Spearman's nonparametric correlation analysis and the chi-square test were used to statistical analyze.
Results:
Aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) value was found to be 6.41 ± 2.12 m/s in the patient group with active acromegaly and 5.24 ± 1.04 m/s in the healthy control group. The difference was statistically significant (p=0.03). The mean MPV value was found to be 9.68 ± 1.11 in the patient group with active acromegaly and 8.53 ± 1.18 in the healthy control group. There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups (p=0.004). In patients with acromegaly, a positive correlation was found between MPV and insulin-like growth hormone-I (IGF-1) level (p=0.021, r=0.434).
Conclusion:
We determined an increase in aortic PWV and MPV in patients with acromegaly. In conclusion, evaluation of MPV and arterial stiffness in future studies could be beneficial in determining the risks for cardiovascular disease in patients with acromegaly.
