Arterial stiffness may predict new-onset heart failure
Elevated arterial stiffness as measured by brachial-artery pulse wave velocity was positively associated with risk for incident HF, according to a study published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.
“Arterial stiffness is not only a sign of vascular aging but also a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, renal dysfunction and preeclampsia, which are risk factors for HF and contribute to a higher risk of all-cause death,” Hongwei Zheng, MD, of the department of internal medicine at Hebei Medical University, and the department of cardiology at Tangshan Gongren Hospital Affiliated to Hebei Medical University in Shijiazhuang, China, and colleagues wrote. “The accuracy and reliability of the association between arterial stiffness and incident HF still needs to be validated. In this study, we used brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity as an index of arterial stiffness to reconfirm the association between different arterial stiffness levels and new-onset HF in the Kailuan study.”
Source: Adobe Stock
For this study, Zheng and colleagues enrolled 40,064 participants who underwent health evaluations and synchronized brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) analysis between 2010 and 2019 (mean age, 49 years; 73% men). Individuals with HF or atrial fibrillation at baseline were excluded from the analysis.
BaPWV measurements were taken between 7 and 9 a.m. and participants refrained from smoking or drinking for 24 hours prior to examination, according to the study. Normal arterial stiffness was defined as baPWV less than 1,400 cm per second; borderline arterial stiffness was defined as baPWV between 1,400 cm and 1,800 cm per second; and elevated aortic stiffness was defined as baPWV of 1,800 cm per second or more.
Participants were followed up until the incidence of HF, death or the date Dec. 31, 2020, whichever occurred first. The mean follow-up was 5.53 years.
Compared with participants with normal aortic stiffness group, the risk for incident HF was greater in both those with borderline aortic stiffness (HR = 1.97; 95% CI, 1.36-2.86) and elevated aortic stiffness (HR = 2.24; 95% CI, 1.49-3.38).
Moreover, for every 359 cm per second increase in baPWV, the risk for new-onset HF increased approximately 10% (HR = 1.1; 95% CI, 1.02-1.2).
“Arterial stiffness is closely associated with a higher risk of new-onset HF independently of traditional risk factors, which is also dose-responsive,” the researchers wrote. “This finding may help to screen people at high risk of HF and play an important role in the prevention of HF.”
Collapse
Read more about