title: Elasticity indices of large and small arteries in relation to the metabolic syndrome in Chinese.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study was to investigate the elasticity of large and small arteries in relation to the components of the metabolic syndrome in a Chinese population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Arterial elasticity indices were derived from pulse wave analysis based on a modified Windkessel model in 688 subjects, aged 33-65 years, who volunteered to participate in our study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study population included 420 (61.0%) men and 433 (62.9%) hypertensive patients, of whom 197 (28.6%) took antihypertensive medication. Overall, the presence of the metabolic syndrome was 20.5%. In univariate analysis, both large artery elasticity index (C1) and small artery elasticity index (C2) were higher in men than in women (P < or = 0.008) and were inversely (P < or = 0.05) correlated with age, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP), pulse pressure, pulse rate, and plasma glucose concentration, and positively (P < 0.0001) correlated with body height and body weight. In men, smokers, compared with nonsmokers, had significantly lower C2 (P = 0.007), but they had similar C1 (P = 0.33). In adjusted analysis, patients with the metabolic syndrome, compared with those without, had significantly (P < 0.01) lower C1 and C2. In continuous adjusted analysis, both C1 and C2 were significantly (P < 0.0001) associated with systolic and diastolic BP, whereas in addition, C1 was also significantly associated with plasma glucose concentration (P = 0.007), and C2 with serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (P = 0.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The metabolic syndrome is indeed a risk factor for reduced arterial elasticity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Ji-Yong
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.forename: Xin-Li
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hai-Feng
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Qiong
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tong
authors.forename: Ji-Guang
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001158:Arteries / Q000502:physiology; D044466:Asian People; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D004548:Elasticity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011673:Pulsatile Flow; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents