title: Serum osteoprotegerin is associated with arterial stiffness assessed according to the cardio-ankle vascular index in hypertensive patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Arterial stiffness is recognized to be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Recent studies have found that osteoprotegerin (OPG) is associated with increased pulse wave velocity and may reflect endothelial dysfunction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the serum OPG level and arterial stiffness in hypertensive patients using the cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Fasting blood samples were obtained from 115 hypertensive patients and 52 healthy participants. The CAVI value was derived using the waveform device (CAVI-VaSera VS-1000). The serum OPG levels were measured using a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A CAVI value of ≥9 defined the high arterial stiffness group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-five hypertensive patients (56.5%) were included in the high arterial stiffness group. Diabetes (p=0.032), smoking (p=0.044), age (p < 0.001), systolic blood pressure (p=0.001), diastolic blood pressure (p=0.024), pulse pressure (p=0.046) and the creatinine (p=0.013) and serum OPG (p < 0.001) levels were higher in the high arterial stiffness group than in the low arterial stiffness group, while the glomerular filtration rate (p=0.003) was lower in the high arterial stiffness group than in the low arterial stiffness group among the hypertensive patients. The results of the Spearman's rank correlation coefficient test also indicated a strong positive correlation between the OPG and CAVI values (r=0.484, p < 0.001) in the hypertensive patients. In addition, a multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age (odds ratio: 1.162, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.070-1.263, p < 0.001), diastolic blood pressure (odds ratio: 1.109, 95% CI: 1.033-1.190, p=0.004), and serum OPG level (odds ratio: 1.275, 95% CI: 1.030-1.580, p=0.026) were independent predictors of arterial stiffness in hypertensive patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The serum OPG level is positively associated with arterial stiffness in hypertensive patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Tzu Chi College of Technology.
authors.forename: Chung-Jen
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ji-Hung
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Mei-Ling
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Chiu-Fen
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yu-Chih
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Bang-Gee
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Hsu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000842:Ankle / Q000098:blood supply*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D053244:Osteoprotegerin / Q000097:blood*; D059289:Vascular Stiffness
chemical_list: D053244:Osteoprotegerin