J Korean Acad Fam Med.  2004 Jan;25(1):28-33.

Correlation between Aortic Stiffness and Abdominal Adiposity

• Moon YL
• Park CG
• Choi YS
• Lee SJ
• Hong MH
• Kim MJ
• Cho YJ
• Song HS
• Cho KH

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Arterial stiffness is a strong indicator of cardiovascular risk. Increased visceral fat confers greater risks of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular events. The aim of this study was to elucidate the relationships between arterial stiffness and regional distribution of abdominal adiposity (i.e. subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue).
METHODS
Thirty obese participants (M:F=17:13, mean age=53.6+/-12.0 years) underwent anthropometric measurements, laboratory procedures such as serum lipid levels and abdominal computed tomography scan. The aortofemoral pulse wave velocity was measured by foot to foot method using two continuous Doppler waves.
RESULTS
Pulse wave velocity was positively associated with age, hip circumference (P<0.01), visceral to subcutaneous abdominal fat ratio and body weight (P<0.05), but independent of the total abdominal, visceral, and subcutanous fat. Although not positively associated, the mean pulse wave velocity tended to be higher in patients with history of hypertension or diabetes.
CONCLUSIONS
The site of abdominal fat distribution contribute to the prediction of arterial stiffness and visceral adiposity is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events.

Keyword

abdominal adiposity; pulse wave velocity; aortic stiffness

MeSH Terms

Abdominal Fat
Adiposity*
Body Weight
Foot
Hip
Humans
Hypertension
Intra-Abdominal Fat
Methods
Pulse Wave Analysis
Vascular Stiffness*