Artery Research (Nov 2015)

P6.12 AORTIC AND LOCAL CAROTID STIFFNESS: RELATIONSHIP WITH CARDIAC AND VASCULAR ORGAN DAMAGE IN A GENERAL POPULATION SAMPLE IN NORTHERN ITALY

  • Anna Paini*,
  • Massimo Salvetti,
  • Claudia Agabiti Rosei,
  • Fabio Bertacchini,
  • Giulia Maruelli,
  • Giulia Rubagotti,
  • Efrem Colonetti,
  • Carlotta Donini,
  • Elisa Casella,
  • Enrico Agabiti Rosei,
  • Maria Lorenza Muiesan

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.artres.2015.10.296
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12

Abstract

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Background: Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (aoPWV), the gold-standard measurement of arterial stiffness, has been found associated with cardiac and vascular organ damage. Less information is available with regard to the correlation between local carotid stiffness (CS) and cardiac and vascular preclinical damage. Aim: of the study was to analyse the correlation between aoPWV and CS and cardiac and vascular preclinical organ damage in a middle age general population in Northern Italy (Vobarno Study). Methods: 245 subjects (57%female, age 56±4 years) underwent laboratory examinations, clinic and 24 hours BP measurement, cardiac and carotid ultrasound, aoPWV measurement (Complior-system). CS was determined from the relative stroke change in diameter (measured with a high-resolution echotracking system) and carotid pulse pressure (measured with applanation tonometry) and was expressed in the same dimensions as pulse wave velocity (m/s). Results: Both aoPWV and CS were significantly related with age (r=0.29, p<0.001 and r=0.23, p<0.001, respectively). A positive correlation was observed with clinic and 24 hours blood pressure parameters and both aoPWV and CS. AoPWV was significantly related to left ventricular mass index (LVMi, r=0.20, p<0.05), and was significantly higher in subjects with LV hypertrophy (LVMi>115 g/m2 in men and>95 g/m2 in women)as compared to subjects without LVH (9.1±1.5 vs 8.5±1.4 m/s, p<0.05). On the contrary, CS was not related with LVMi and no difference in CS was observed between subjects with or without LVH(6.5±1.5 vs 6.3±1.2, p=ns). AoPWV was also significantly related to vascular organ damage(carotid IMTMeanmax:r=0.16, p<0.05; CBMmax:r=0.16, p<0.05; Tmax:r=0.19, p<0.005), while CS was not. Conclusion: Although carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (AoPWV) and carotid stiffness provided similar information on the impact of aging and blood pressure on large artery stiffness, only AoPWW, and not CS, is related to cardiac (LVM) and vascular(IMT) damage in a general population sample.