Differential Sensitivity of Brachial-Ankle Pulse Wave Velocity and Ankle-Brachial Index for Cardiovascular Risk Assessment in Elderly Chinese: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Brachial-Ankle Pulse Wave Velocity (baPWV) and Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI) are widely used in clinic for evaluating arterial stiffness and atherosclerosis separately. This study aimed to compare the sensitivity of baPWV and ABI for cardiovascular risk assessment in elderly Chinese. Methods: BaPWV, ABI and Carotid Intima-Media Thickness (cIMT) were assessed in 169 elderly Chinese with the mean age of 85.7 years. Results: Compared with normotensive participants, baPWV levels elevated in both limbs of hypertensive patients (2219 +/- 90 cm/s vs. 1970 +/- 66 cm/s, p = 0.090; 2141 +/- 52 cm/s vs. 1932 +/- 67 cm/s, p = 0.023, separately). Compared with non-diabetes Mellitus (DM) participants, ABI levels declined in both limbs of DM patients (0.96 +/- 0.02 vs. 1.05 +/- 0.02, p = 0.002 and 0.99 +/- 0.03 vs. 1.03 +/- 0.02, p = 0.071, separately). ABI of left limbs and ABI of right limbs were negatively correlated to cIMT (R = -0.136, p = 0.090; R = -0.196, p = 0.026, separately) after adjusted by age, systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, body mass index, triglycerides, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein. The regression model for predicting Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) included the factors of gender, age, hypertension, baPWV of left limbs and baPWV of right limbs (OR = 6.701, 95% CI 0.911-49.310, p = 0.062; OR = 1.181, 95% CI 1.051-1.327, p = 0.005; OR = 0.214, 95% CI 0.066-0.688, p = 0.010; OR = 1.002, 95% CI 1.000-1.003, p = 0.065; OR = 0.998, 95% CI 0.996-0.999, p = 0.006, separately). Conclusion: In elderly Chinese, baPWV was elevated in hypertensive patients while ABI was lower in DM patients compared with healthy people. Compared with baPWV, ABI is better equivalent to cIMT. But for predicting the risk of CVD, baPWV is a better biomarker. (C) 2021 The Authors. Publishing services by Atlantis Press International B.V.