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Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity is associated with coronary calcification among 1131 healthy middle-aged men
Abhishek Vishnu1, Jina Choo2, Bradley Wilcox3
1Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA.
Insights
Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) is linked to coronary artery calcification (CAC) in healthy middle-aged men. Higher baPWV indicates increased risk for coronary atherosclerosis across diverse racial groups.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Vascular Biology
- Preventive Medicine
Background:
- Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) is a validated measure of arterial stiffness.
- Arterial stiffness is a key indicator of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.
- Previous research primarily focused on Eastern Asian populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between baPWV and coronary atherosclerosis.
- To examine this relationship in a diverse, international cohort of healthy middle-aged men.
- To determine if baPWV can serve as a predictor of coronary artery calcification (CAC).
Main Methods:
- Recruited 1131 men (aged 40-49) from the US (White, Black), Japan, and Korea.
- Measured baPWV using an automated waveform analyzer.
- Assessed coronary artery calcification (CAC) via computed-tomography, defining presence as ≥ 10 Agatston units.
Main Results:
- Higher baPWV quartiles were significantly associated with the presence of CAC.
- Odds of CAC increased by 19% per 100 cm/s and 36% per standard deviation increase in baPWV.
- Associations were consistent across racial groups, notably significant in Whites, Blacks, and Koreans.
Conclusions:
- baPWV is cross-sectionally associated with CAC in healthy middle-aged men.
- This association holds significance across various racial and ethnic groups.
- Further longitudinal studies are recommended to confirm the predictive value of baPWV for CVD events.
Background:
Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) is a simple and reproducible measure of arterial stiffness and is extensively used to assess cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in eastern Asia. We examined whether baPWV is associated with coronary atherosclerosis in an international study of healthy middle-aged men.
Methods:
A population-based sample of 1131 men aged 40-49 years was recruited - 257 Whites and 75 Blacks in Pittsburgh, US, 228 Japanese-Americans in Honolulu, US, 292 Japanese in Otsu, Japan, and 279 Koreans in Ansan, Korea. baPWV was measured with an automated waveform analyzer (VP2000, Omron) and atherosclerosis was examined as coronary artery calcification (CAC) by computed-tomography (GE-Imatron EBT scanner). Association of the presence of CAC (defined as ≥ 10 Agatston unit) was examined with continuous measure as well as with increasing quartiles of baPWV.
Results:
As compared to the lowest quartile of baPWV, the multivariable-adjusted odds ratio (95% Confidence Interval [CI]) for the presence of CAC in the combined sample was 1.70 (0.98, 2.94) for 2nd quartile, 1.88 (1.08, 3.28) for 3rd quartile, and 2.16 (1.19, 3.94) for 4th quartile (p-trend = 0.01). The odds for CAC increased by 19% per 100 cm/s increase (p < 0.01), or by 36% per standard-deviation increase (p < 0.01) in baPWV. Similar effect-sizes were observed in individual races, and were significant among Whites, Blacks and Koreans.
Conclusion:
baPWV is cross-sectionally associated with CAC among healthy middle-aged men. The association was significant in Whites and Blacks in the US, and among Koreans. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine its CVD predictive ability.
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