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Measuring the Carotid to Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity Cf-PWV to Evaluate Arterial Stiffness
Published on: May 3, 2018
Greater Adherence to Life's Essential 8 for Cardiovascular Health Is Associated With Lower Arterial Stiffness in
Elizabeth C Lefferts1, Duck-Chul Lee1
1Department of Kinesiology, College of Human Sciences Iowa State University Ames IA USA.
Insights
Adhering to Life's Essential 8 guidelines significantly lowers arterial stiffness in cancer survivors. This promotes better cardiovascular health and reduces vascular disease risk in this population.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Health
- Oncology
- Vascular Biology
Background:
- Cancer survivors face increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk due to cancer therapies impacting vascular function.
- Arterial stiffness is a key indicator of vascular health and a predictor of CVD.
- The American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 (LE8) promotes optimal cardiovascular health, but its association with arterial stiffness in cancer survivors is unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between adherence to Life's Essential 8 and arterial stiffness in older adult cancer survivors.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study of 172 older adult cancer survivors (age ≥65 years).
- Cardiovascular health was assessed using the Life's Essential 8 100-point score.
- Arterial stiffness was measured using pulse wave velocity (PWV), with high stiffness defined as PWV ≥10 m/s.
Main Results:
- The average LE8 score was 72±11, with 23% of participants exhibiting high arterial stiffness.
- Moderate and high LE8 scores were associated with significantly lower odds of high arterial stiffness (OR=0.12 and OR=0.02, respectively).
- Each 10-point increase in the LE8 score correlated with a 0.43 m/s reduction in PWV (P<0.001).
Conclusions:
- Higher adherence to Life's Essential 8 is linked to reduced arterial stiffness in older cancer survivors.
- Findings suggest LE8 can be a valuable tool for managing cardiovascular risk in this population.
- Further prospective studies with larger cohorts are warranted to confirm these associations.
Background:
Survivors of cancer have elevated risk of cardiovascular disease, likely stemming from the negative impact of anticancer therapies on vascular function. Arterial stiffness is a strong indicator of vascular function and independent predictor of cardiovascular disease. The American Heart Association recommends Life's Essential 8 for optimal cardiovascular health. It is currently unknown, however, whether greater adherence to Life's Essential 8 is associated with low arterial stiffness in survivors of cancer.
Methods And Results:
This cross-sectional study included 172 older adult (≥65 years) survivors of cancer (74±6 years; 58% female). Life's Essential 8 100-point cardiovascular health score, with higher scores indicative of better cardiovascular health, was calculated based on 8 components: diet, physical activity, nicotine exposure, sleep health, body mass index, blood lipids, blood glucose, and blood pressure. Participants were classified as having low (<60), moderate (60-79), or high (≥80) cardiovascular health. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) was used to assess arterial stiffness; with high arterial stiffness defined as a pulse wave velocity ≥10 m/s. The mean cardiovascular health score was 72±11 and 40 survivors (23%) had high arterial stiffness. Compared with low cardiovascular health, the odds ratio of high arterial stiffness was 0.12 (95% CI, 0.03-0.50) and 0.02 (95% CI, 0.003-0.18) for moderate and high cardiovascular health, respectively. Every 10-point increase in the cardiovascular health score was associated with a 0.43 m/s reduction in pulse wave velocity (P<0.001).
Conclusions:
Greater adherence to the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 was associated with lower prevalence of high arterial stiffness in older adult survivors of cancer. Prospective studies with larger samples are needed.
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