P-677: Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity is independently associated with carotid atherosclerosis in hypertensive patients

Atherosclerosis is an emerging major risk factor for cardiovascular events in hypertensive patients. Carotid plaque score (PS) and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) have been shown to be good surrogate markers of systemic atherosclerosis. There are reports indicating that cfPWV is independently associated with carotid plaques. However, the relation between PS and brachial-ankle PWV (baPWV), which includes the information form the more distal limb, is not fully investigated. We investigated the association between baPWV and carotid PS in uncomplicated hypertensive patients. We enrolled 104 hypertensive outpatients (42 males and 62 females, 40–92 years old, 86.5% medicated) based on 2 consecutive office blood pressures (OBPs) (SBP≥140mmHg or DBP≥90mmHg) at two visits with at least 2 week interval. And at the third study visit, we measured 3 consecutive OBPs. baPWV was used to assess aortic stiffness and measured using a volume-plethysmographic device (form PWV/ABI; Colin Co., Ltd., Japan). Carotid PS was assessed using 7.5-MHz B-mode ultrasonography. Lesions with an Intima-media thickness ≥1.1mm were defined as atheromatous plaques. Its score was calculated as summing all plaque thicknesses in both carotid systems. The associations of PS with age, sex, height, body mass index, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, smoking habits, baPWV, mean 3 consecutive OBPs (mean BP) and pulse pressure (mean PP) were assessed by multiple regression analysis. The table summarizes the results (β and p-values). Only baPWV show significant association with PS. Multiple Regression Analysis of PS Variables β p-value Age(years) 0.138 0.293 Men gender −0.134 0.384 Height(cm) 0.039 0.800 body mass index(kg/m2) −0.080 0.480 Hypercholesterolemia 0.131 0.198 Diabetes 0.060 0.558 Smoking habits 0.101 0.343 baPWV(cm/sec) 0.340 0.020 mean BP(mmHg) −0.182 0.142 mean PP (mmHg) 0.109 0.408 β standardized coefficient. In conclusion, baPWV is independently associated with carotid atherosclerosis in hypertensive patients. baPWV could be used as an alternative indicator to carotid PWV for assessing systemic atherosclerosis.