Relationships between brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity and conventional atherosclerotic risk factors in community-dwelling people.
BACKGROUND
A simple instrument has been developed to measure brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV). The aim of the present study was to use this instrument to study the relationship between baPWV and conventional atherosclerotic risk factors.


METHODS
Community-dwelling Japanese (632) living in a rural area (234 men and 398 women) participated in a municipal medical health survey that included baPWV measurement and a traditional clinical examination, conducted in June, 2002.


RESULTS
Men had a significantly higher baPWV than women. No interaction between gender and age on baPWV was identified. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that age, hemodynamic factors (diastolic blood pressure, pulse pressure, and heart rate), hemoglobinA1c, current drinking and smoking status, and mild retinal changes had significant independent influences on higher baPWV.


CONCLUSIONS
In this rural population, age, gender, and hemodynamic factors were independently associated with baPWV, along with traditional atherosclerotic risk factors, although no significant associations between baPWV and histories of atherosclerotic diseases or subclinical atherosclerosis except for mild retinal changes were demonstrated.
Fujiwara
Yoshinori
Y
Community Health Research Group, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Japan. fujiwayo@tmig.or.jp
Chaves
Paulo
P
Takahashi
Ryutaro
R
Amano
Hidenori
H
Kumagai
Shu
S
Fujita
Koji
K
Yoshida
Hiroto
H
Wang
Dou Gui
DG
Varadhan
Ravi
R
Uchida
Hayato
H
Shinkai
Shoji
S
D000368:Aged; D000842:Ankle / Q000098:blood supply; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010991:Plethysmography / Q000295:instrumentation; D011673:Pulsatile Flow / Q000502:physiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity