title: Mitral annular calcification is associated with pulse wave velocity but not with augmentation index.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the possible relationship between mitral annular calcification (MAC) and arterial stiffness.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-two patients (mean age 68 ± 6 years) with MAC and an age-matched control group of 41 individuals (mean age 66 ± 6 years) were studied. Arterial stiffness and wave reflections of the study population were evaluated by using applanation tonometry (SphygmoCor). Aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) was measured as an index of aortic stiffness. The heart rate-corrected augmentation index (AIx@75) was estimated as a composite marker of wave reflections and arterial stiffness.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Aortic PWV was significantly higher in patients with MAC (12.2 ± 2.3 m/s) than in controls (10.1 ± 1.3 m/s, p = 0.0001). However, AIx@75 was similar between the groups (28 ± 10 vs. 29 ± 10%, p = 0.59). Multivariate analysis involving the whole population revealed that brachial diastolic blood pressure (β = 1.87, p = 0.04) and MAC (β = 0.41, p = 0.0001) were independent determinants of aortic PWV.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The data showed that MAC was significantly associated with increased arterial stiffness and that it was an independent determinant of aortic PWV.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey. doktorismet@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Ismet
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Durmus
authors.forename: Kayıhan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Karaman
authors.forename: Serkan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oztürk
authors.forename: Merih
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kutlu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D063177:Pulse Wave Analysis; D012044:Regression Analysis; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D059289:Vascular Stiffness