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Arterial stiffness tested by pulse wave velocity and augmentation index for cardiovascular risk stratification in

Gerasimos Evangelatos1,2, George Konstantonis1, Nikolaos Tentolouris1

  • 1First Department of Propaedeutic Internal Medicine, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.

Rheumatology (Oxford, England)
|June 9, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) patients show increased arterial stiffness, specifically in augmentation index, compared to healthy individuals. This arterial stiffening, a cardiovascular risk factor, highlights the need for closer monitoring in APS patients.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Rheumatology
  • Vascular Biology

Background:

  • Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a significant cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
  • Arterial stiffness (ArS) is a recognized predictor of cardiovascular events in the general population.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate arterial stiffness (ArS) in patients with thrombotic Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS).
  • To compare ArS in APS patients against those with diabetes mellitus (DM) and healthy controls (HC).
  • To identify predictors of increased ArS within the APS cohort.

Main Methods:

  • Arterial stiffness was assessed using carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) and augmentation index (AIx@75).
  • Carotid and femoral ultrasounds were performed to detect atherosclerotic plaques.
  • Linear regression models were employed to compare ArS measures and identify determinants in APS patients.

Main Results:

  • APS patients exhibited significantly higher AIx@75 compared to HC, indicating enhanced arterial stiffening.
  • While cfPWV was similar between APS and HC, APS patients had lower cfPWV than DM patients.
  • Independent predictors of increased cfPWV in APS included age, mean arterial pressure (MAP), femoral atherosclerotic plaques, and anti-β2-glycoprotein I IgM positivity.

Conclusions:

  • APS patients demonstrate elevated AIx@75, suggesting increased arterial stiffening.
  • Arterial stiffness evaluation may improve cardiovascular risk stratification in APS patients.
  • The findings underscore the importance of assessing ArS in managing cardiovascular risk in APS.
Abstract

Keywords:
APSarterial stiffnessaugmentation indexcardiovascular riskdiabetes mellitus

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