Association Between Arterial Stiffness and Carotid Atherosclerosis in the Elderly

Shin, Yung Woo

Abstract

BACKGROUND
The extent of carotid atherosclerosis is a reliable predictor of systemic atherosclerosis, and pulse wave velocity (PWV), the best measure of arterial stiffness is a surrogate marker for atherosclerosis. However, the little data has been published examining the relationship between the carotid atherosclerosis and PWV in the elderly, and further research is needed to define the relationship precisely.
METHODS
Two hundred twenty consecutive elderly patients(118 men, 102 women, 60~69 years old) who underwent coronary angiography for suspected coronary artery disease were evaluated the Framingham cardiovascular risk score, PWVs and the extent of carotid atherosclerosis by B-mode ultrasound.
RESULTS
The heart-femoral(hf) or central PWV in PWVs showed significant positive correlation with the extent of carotid atheros- clerosis(r=0.194, p=0.004), and after controlling for the Framingham cardiovascular risk score the relations remained statistically significant(r=0.162, p=0.018). According to sex, women only showed statistically significant correlation. Subjects with advanced carotid atherosclerosis had significantly increased hfPWV(p=0.011).
CONCLUSION
In the elderly, hfPWV, a index of central arterial stiffness provides a surrogate marker for carotid atherosclerosis which is a reliable predictor of systemic atherosclerosis.