RELATIONS OF CARDIOVASCULAR RISK-FACTORS TO AORTIC PULSE-WAVE VELOCITY IN ASYMPTOMATIC MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN

Cross-sectional associations between aortic elasticity assessed by car otid to femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) and cardiovascular risk fact ors were examined in 429 apparently healthy middle-aged women. PWV was strongly and positively related to blood pressure and hypertension. W eak but significant positive associations were also found between PWV and age, heart rate, some lipids and lipoproteins, blood glucose (eith er as a continuous or dichotomous variable), body mass index, haematoc rit, leucocyte count and family history of diabetes. No associations w ere observed between PWV and high density lipoprotein cholesterol, apo lipoprotein A1, fibrinogen, cigarette smoking, menopausal status and a family history of hypertension or myocardial infarction. After adjust ment for systolic blood pressure, PWV remained significantly related t o heart rate, leucocyte count, blood glucose (as a dichotomous variabl e) and a family history of diabetes. Multiple regression analysis show ed that systolic blood pressure and, to a lesser extent, heart rate, l eucocyte count and a family history of diabetes were all independent d eterminants of PWV. This pattern of associations suggests that arteria l stiffness measured by PWV reflects the sclerotic rather than the ath erotic component of atherosclerosis. The potential influence of a fami ly history of diabetes on the elastic properties of the aorta needs to be ascertained in further studies.