Association of incremental pulse wave velocity with cardiometabolic risk factors

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Physiology
• Vascular Health
• Metabolic Syndrome Research

Background:

• Cardiometabolic risk factors are associated with vascular dysfunction.
• Incremental pulse wave velocity (ΔC) is a novel marker reflecting arterial stiffness changes over a cardiac cycle.
• Population-level data on ΔC and its association with cardiometabolic health is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between incremental pulse wave velocity (ΔC) and cardiometabolic risk factors in a general population.
• To report the largest population-level dataset on ΔC and cardiometabolic health to date.
• To evaluate the potential of ΔC as an early screening tool for vascular dysfunction.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 1373 general population participants.
• Measurement of ΔC using validated ARTSENS devices.
• Statistical analysis to assess the relationship between ΔC, metabolic syndrome (MetS), number of risk factors, age, and blood pressure categories.

Main Results:

• Participants with MetS had significantly higher average ΔC (approx. 28.4%) compared to those without MetS.
• Average ΔC increased with the number of cardiometabolic risk factors (approx. 55% increase from 0 to 5 factors).
• A significant age-related increase in ΔC was observed, from younger to geriatric populations.
• ΔC ≥ 1.81 m/s predicted ≥ 3 cardiometabolic risks (AUC=0.615, OR=2.309, RR=1.703).

Conclusions:

• Incremental pulse wave velocity (ΔC) is significantly associated with cardiometabolic risk factors and increasing age.
• Elevated ΔC levels show potential as a predictive marker for multiple cardiometabolic risks.
• ΔC may serve as a valuable tool for early detection and screening of subclinical vascular dysfunction.