Relationship between cardio-ankle vascular index and coronary artery calcification in a population sample of southwestern Siberia

Objective - To examine associations between cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) and coronary artery calcium (CAC) score a population sample of southwestern Siberia. Methods - From the sample of 1,620 people the final analysis included 1,316 participants 25 to 64 years of age who were enrolled in an observational cross-sectional study, Epidemiology of Cardiovascular Diseases and Their Risk Factors in the Russian Federation (ESSE-RF). Study participants were split among two groups: Group 1 with CAVI=9.0 (n=128) and Group 2 with CAVI<9.0 (n=1,188). Prevalence of coronary artery calcification in both groups was analyzed via the Agatston method. We compared main demographic and clinical data between the groups, as well as CAC scores. Results - Elevated CAVI (>= 9.0) was present in 9.7% of people included in a population sample from southwestern Siberia, and coronary artery calcification was found in 33.5% of the sample. While similar rates of minimum, mild, moderate and severe CAC score were observed in the participants with elevated and normal CAVI values, CAVI as a continuous variable was statistically significantly associated with moderate and severe CAC scores (OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.06-1.37, p=0.004). CAC score values were higher in individuals at the age of =50 years with pathological CAVI values (116 +/- 489 vs. 75 +/- 425 in normal CAVI, p=0.035), but not in patients under the age of 50 years (64 +/- 227 and 85 +/- 475, p=0.343). Conclusion - CAVI could possibly be used as a feasible marker before assessing the CAC score in some asymptomatic Caucasian subjects, but identifying the most appropriate methods and participants, whom it could be clearly applicable to, requires further studying.