Associations of Arterial Stiffness and Bone Mineral Density in Postmenopausal Women

Aim . To study associations between arterial stiffness and bone mineral density in postmenopausal women. Material and methods . The intima-media thickness (IMT), the presence and number of atherosclerotic plaques (AP) were studied using duplex scanning. Pulse wave velocity (PWV), augmentation index (AI) were measured by applanation. The Bone mineral density (BMD) of the spine, hip neck (HN) and proximal hip (PH) was measured using double energy x-ray absorptiometry. Results . A significant correlation of PWV with age, duration of menopause was revealed, a more pronounced correlation was noted with blood pressure (BP), maximum IMT thickness. There was no significant correlation between PWV and BMD. AI showed a statistically significant but weak negative correlation with the HN (rs=0.12, p<0.05); a more pronounced negative correlation was obtained for BMD (rs=0.16, p<0.01). For indicators characterizing the degree of bone mass increased, there is a significant correlation with age (rs=-0.4, p<0.01), weight (rs=0.4, p<0.01), Quetelet index (rs=0.3, p<0.01) and the presence of AP (rs=-0.12, p<0.05). According to the results of multivariate regression analysis, the most significant predictors of arterial stiffness were indicators reflecting obesity and diastolic BP. The relationship between BMD and age-adjusted vascular stiffness was not statistically significant. Conclusion . In our study, postmenopausal women have increased arterial stiffness, suggesting a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. The relationship between bone mineral density and vascular wall stiffness was insignificant. To a greater extent, arterial stiffness depended on age, increased blood pressure, and the presence of atherosclerotic changes.