The comparison of the impact of arterial stiffness and central pressure on left ventricular geometry and diastolic function

BACKGROUND: This study was performed to compare the associations of brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and central blood pressure (CBP) measurements with left ventricular (LV) geometry and diastolic function. METHODS: A total of 77 subjects (64.5 ± 10.8 years, 67.5% females) without documented cardiovascular disease were prospectively recruited. All subjects underwent transthoracic echocardiography, baPWV and noninvasive measurement of CBP on the same day. RESULTS: In simple linear correlation analyses, neither baPWV nor CBP was associated with LV mass index or relative wall thickness (P > 0.05 for each). Although baPWV significantly correlated with septal e´ velocity in simple linear correlation analyses (r = 0.258, P = 0.025), the significance was lost after controlling for potential confounder (P = 0.881). In simple linear correlation analyses, central systolic blood pressure (CSBP) and central pulse pressure (CPP) significantly correlated with both septal e´ velocity or E/e´ (P < 0.05 for each); however, neither central diastolic nor mean arterial pressures was associated with both septal e´ velocity and E/e´ (P > 0.05 for each). After controlling for confounders, including age, sex and body mass index, CSBP correlated with septal e´ velocity (β = − 0.258, P = 0.025), but not with E/e´ (P = 0.074). CPP correlated with both septal e´ velocity (β = − 0.300, P = 0.014) and E/e´ (β = 0.428, P = 0.002) in the same multivariable model. CONCLUSIONS: In subjects without documented cardiovascular disease, CSBP and CPP may be more strongly associated with LV diastolic function than baPWV. Further studies with a larger sample size are needed to confirm our results.