Cutoff Values of Pulse Wave Velocity Score to Estimate 10-Year Cardiovascular Disease Risk by Framingham and SCORE2...

Arterial stiffness measurement can predict risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) independently of traditional risk factors and can be used to improve cardiovascular risk assessments in various clinical scenarios. The current study aimed to determine PWV cutoff values for CVD risk classification of individuals based on different risk scoring systems. The participants' CVD risk was calculated using the Framingham and SCORE2 systems. Arterial stiffness was estimated by measuring PWV values. According to Framingham score system, 53.1% (n = 111) of the participants had low risk, 28.2% (n = 59) had intermediate risk, and 18.7% (n = 39) had high risk. According to SCORE2 system, 41.1% (n = 86) were low risk, 36.4% (n = 76) were intermediate risk, and 22.5% (n = 47) were high risk. The mean values of PWV in Framingham and SCORE2 risk groups were 7.09 ± 1.03 and 6.95 ± 0.89 m/s in the low-risk group, 8.14 ± 1.08 and 7.85 ± 1.09 m/s in the intermediate-risk group, and 9.24 ± 0.99 and 9.13 ± 1.33 m/s in the high-risk group, respectively. In the determination of CVD risk groups, PWV cutoff values were 7.6 and 7.1 m/s for the low-moderate risk group and 8.1 and 8.5 m/s for the intermediate and high-risk groups according to Framingham and SCORE2 systems, respectively. There were significant differences in risk categorization between Framingham and SCORE2 systems. PWV value showed high positive correlation with both Framingham and SCORE2 system risk scores. PWV values may be a practical, rapid and useful method for cardiovascular risk categorization independent of external factors.