Estimated pulse wave velocity as a potential predictor of albuminuria in hypertension

Increased arterial stiffness is an important marker of target organ damage in hypertension. Estimated pulse wave velocity (ePWV) is a noninvasive assessment of arterial stiffness based on blood pressure and age calculations, but its association with albuminuria, an early indicator of renal function impairment, still needs to be validated. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of ePWV with albuminuria and its dose-response properties in hypertensive patients.

Hypertensive patients who attended the cardiology department of Ganzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China from July 2024 to April 2025 were retrospectively enrolled. ePWV was calculated from systolic and diastolic blood pressure and age. Albuminuria was detected using a dipstick test. Logistic regression was used to analyze the association between ePWV and albuminuria, and dose-response relationship was assessed using restricted cubic spline (RCS).

A total of 761 hypertensive patients were included in the final analysis. The rate of positive albuminuria was 19.6%. High ePWV group (≥10.74 m/s) was associated with albuminuria compared to low ePWV group (OR = 2.79, 95% CI: 1.18-6.71). And for per 1-m/s increase in ePWV, the risk of ePWV association with albuminuria increased by 42% (OR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.14-1.78). RCS analysis showed a linear dose-response relationship between ePWV and albuminuria (p non-linear >0.05).

ePWV was independently associated with albuminuria in hypertensive patients with a linear dose-response relationship, suggesting that arterial stiffness may be a measurable risk factor for early renal injury, and that ePWV may serve as a simple tool for primary renal function assessment.