title: Prognostic impact of arterial stiffness in patients with symptomatic peripheral arterial disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Arterial stiffness (AS) is increasingly recognized as an independent risk factor in different high-risk populations. Whether changes in AS can predict prognosis in patients with symptomatic peripheral arterial disease (PAD) has never been investigated. The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that AS is an independent predictor of all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in patients with symptomatic PAD.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cohort of 117 symptomatic PAD patients (aged 62.3 ± 7.7 years) were prospectively recruited from the Department of Vascular Surgery, Tartu University Hospital, between 2002 and 2010. The AS was measured using pulse wave analysis and assessment of pulse wave velocity (PWV).
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the follow-up period (mean 4.1 ± 2.2 years) there were 32 fatal events. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the probability of all-cause and CVD mortality decreased with increasing small artery elasticity (SAE), as estimated by the log-rank test (p = .004; p = .005, respectively). By contrast, large artery elasticity, augmentation index, and aortic and brachial PWV were not significantly related to mortality. In a Cox proportional hazard model, SAE above the median was associated with decreased all-cause and CVD mortality after adjustment for confounding factors: relative risk (RR), 0.37; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.17-0.81; p = .01; RR, 0.11; 95% CI, 0.01-0.86; p = .04, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides the first evidence, obtained from an observational study, that decreased small artery elasticity is an independent predictor of all-cause and CVD mortality in patients with symptomatic PAD.
authors: Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, Department of Biochemistry, Centre of Excellence for Translational Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia; Endothelial Centre, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia; Department of Vascular Surgery, Tartu University Hospital, Tartu, Estonia. Electronic address: Jaak.Kals@kliinikum.ee.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Kals
authors: Department of Vascular Surgery, Tartu University Hospital, Tartu, Estonia; Department of Surgery, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Lieberg
authors: Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, Department of Biochemistry, Centre of Excellence for Translational Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia; Endothelial Centre, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia; Department of Cardiology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Kampus
authors: Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, Department of Biochemistry, Centre of Excellence for Translational Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia; Endothelial Centre, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Zagura
authors: Endothelial Centre, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia; Department of Cardiology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Eha
authors: Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, Department of Biochemistry, Centre of Excellence for Translational Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia; Endothelial Centre, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Zilmer
mesh_terms: D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality; D004957:Estonia / Q000453:epidemiology; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058729:Peripheral Arterial Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D059289:Vascular Stiffness
keywords: Arterial stiffness; Peripheral arterial disease; Total and cardiovascular disease mortality