title: Arterial stiffness parameters: how do they differ?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV), as a parameter of aortic stiffness, is an established marker of cardiovascular risk. There has been increasing use of arterial stiffness parameters combining aortic and muscular stiffness or a parameter derived from PWV - the stiffness index beta (BETA = ln(systolic/diastolic pressure) × 2 blood viscosity/pulse pressure × PWV(2)). The aim of this study was to compare different arterial stiffness parameters in a general population random sample.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 809 individuals from the Czech post-MONICA study (aged 54 ± 13.5 years, 47% men), we compared the association of carotid-femoral PWV (cfPWV), carotid-ankle PWV (caPWV), and BETA with cardiovascular risk factors, parameters of subclinical organ damage, and presence of manifest cardiovascular disease. Both cfPWV and caPWV were similarly associated with blood pressure and glucose level, while cfPWV was more strongly associated with age, cholesterol level and glomerular filtration rate whereas caPWV with Sokolow-Lyon index. BETA derived from cfPWV and caPWV was less dependent on blood pressure, while it showed a closer association with coronary heart disease presence, as compared to cfPWV and caPWV.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Addition of lower extremity to aortic stiffness has an effect on the association with cardiovascular risk factors while having no effect on the association with manifest cardiovascular disease. Beta transformation of PWV decreases its dependence on blood pressure and may increase its power in cardiovascular risk prediction.
authors.affiliation: Center for Cardiovascular Prevention of the First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Thomayer Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic; Department of Preventive Cardiology, Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Prague, Czech Republic; International Clinical Research Center, St Ann's University Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic. Electronic address: wohlfp@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wohlfahrt
authors.forename: Alena
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Krajčoviechová
authors.forename: Jitka
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Seidlerová
authors.forename: Otto
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Mayer
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bruthans
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Filipovský
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Laurent
authors.forename: Renata
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cífková
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001011:Aorta / Q000473:pathology; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000473:pathology*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018153:Czech Republic; D005260:Female; D005919:Glomerular Filtration Rate; D006304:Health Status; D006339:Heart Rate; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D035002:Lower Extremity / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D063177:Pulse Wave Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D059289:Vascular Stiffness
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D002784:Cholesterol
keywords: Arterial stiffness; Cardiovascular disease; Pulse wave velocity; Target organ damage