title: Arterial stiffness, carotid atherosclerosis and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in postmenopausal women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Postmenopausal women have an increased cardiovascular morbidity that may be due to the increase in classical cardiovascular risk factors and also to the arterial structure and function alterations. The aim of our study was to evaluate the association of aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV), and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), with left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) in postmenopausal women.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 96 women without overt cardiovascular disease (age 62±7.7 years), and with normal left ventricular systolic function, aortic PWV was assessed by using an oscillometric device, intima-media thickness was measured by B-mode ultrasonography and the parameters of left ventricular diastolic function were evaluated by a transthoracic echocardiographic study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  LVDD, defined as an E/A ratio≤1 was found in 50 patients (52%). All of them had mild LVDD. In these patients we found significant increase in age (p<0.001), aortic PWV (p<0.001), carotid IMT (p=0.002) and plaque score (p=0.004) when compared with patients without LVDD. In a logistic regression analyzed, after adjusting for age, only aortic PWV was a significant predictor of LVDD (2.15, 95% CI 1.39-3.31, p=0.0006).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study among postmenopausal women provides evidence that increased arterial stiffness as measured by aortic PWV and not carotid IMT may be a marker or a risk factor for LVDD, independent of other classical risk factors.
authors.affiliation: 2nd Internal Medicine Clinic, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. albumed2@gmail.com
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Albu
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fodor
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bondor
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Poantă
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001011:Aorta / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D009991:Oscillometry / Q000379:methods; D017698:Postmenopause; D063177:Pulse Wave Analysis / Q000379:methods; D012307:Risk Factors; D059289:Vascular Stiffness; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology