Arterial stiffness determined according to the cardio-ankle vascular index is associated with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation: a cross-sectional study.
BACKGROUND
Several lines of evidence suggest that atrial fibrillation (AF) may be a consequence of vascular disease. We investigated the relationship between cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI), a new index of arterial stiffness, and the presence of paroxysmal AF (PAF).


RESULTS
181 outpatients (91 patients with PAF and 90 age- and gender-matched subjects without PAF) were analysed for their sinus rhythm. The CAVI was significantly higher in patients with PAF than in subjects without PAF (9.0±1.0 vs 8.7±0.8, p<0.01). In all subjects, the CAVI was significantly correlated with the left ventricular mass index (r=0.30, p<0.01), left atrial diameter (r=0.22, p<0.01), and augmentation index, a parameter of wave reflection (r=0.32, p<0.01), in addition to age, systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure. Logistic analysis demonstrated that the CAVI was independently associated with PAF even after adjustment for confounding factors. The adjusted OR of PAF was 1.8 for each unit increase in the CAVI (p=0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Our finding suggests that increased arterial stiffness may be involved in the maintenance of AF.
Department of Cardiovascular Therapeutics , Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences , Okayama , Japan.
Toru
T
Miyoshi
Department of Cardiology , Kagawa Prefectural Central Hospital , Kagawa , Japan.
Masayuki
M
Doi
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine , Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences , Okayama , Japan.
Yoko
Y
Noda
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine , Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences , Okayama , Japan.
Yuko
Y
Ohno
Department of Cardiology , Sumitomo Besshi Hospital , Niihama , Japan.
Kosuke
K
Sakane
Department of Cardiology , Sumitomo Besshi Hospital , Niihama , Japan.
Shigeshi
S
Kamikawa
Department of Cardiology , Sumitomo Besshi Hospital , Niihama , Japan.
Youko
Y
Noguchi
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine , Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences , Okayama , Japan.
Hiroshi
H
Ito
Hypertension; Peripheral Vascular Disease