[Association between indicators of arterial stiffness and all-cause mortality and cardiovascular deaths: A...

To assess the associations between brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), ankle brachial index (ABI) and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in a rural population in north China.

The current study utilized the baseline data of Beijing Fangshan family cohort study and the data of the death surveillance system of the Beijing Fangshan District Center for Disease Prevention and Control. The main outcomes were all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality. Cardiovascular deaths which included deaths from coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, heart failure, sudden cardiac death and arrhythmia, were coded according to the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) and Tenth Revision (ICD-10). The R4.2.2 software was used for statistical analysis, and the adjusted hazard ratios (HR) for all-cause and CVD mortality associated with baPWV and ABI were calculated using Cox proportional hazards regressions with shared frailty models.

A total of 7 686 participants were followed up for a median of 6.35 years in Fangshan District, Beijing, China. Totally 576 deaths were identified, with a mortality density of 11.88/1 000 person-years, of which 335 deaths were from cardiovascular diseases. We found that baPWV (HR=1.40, 95%CI: 1.02-1.92) and ABI (HR=3.32, 95%CI: 2.57-4.28) were associated with all-cause mortality after adjusting for confounding factors. ABI was more strongly associated with cardiovascular mortality than baPWV. There was no significant difference in the risk of all-cause mortality among different subgroups. The risk of cardiovascular mortality was significantly increased in the participants with hypertension (HR=1.72, 95%CI: 1.30-2.27).

baPWV and ABI were associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in a rural population of north China. The association of ABI and cardiovascular mortality was more significant than that of baPWV. And abnormal baPWV or ABI was associated with cardiovascular mortality, especially in people with hypertension.