Brachial Artery Distensibility as A Cardiovascular Risk Marker in Asymptomatic Individuals

Previous studies have shown that brachial arterial distensibility (BD) is a measure of arterial stiffness and may be used in risk assessment for cardiovascular disease (CVD). The aim of this study was to explore the predictive value of BD for CVD risk levels and to seek cardiovascular risk factors influencing BD. In this study, BD data were obtained using the DynaPulse 2000A instrument (Pulse Metric, Inc, USA) in 300 asymptomatic, apparently healthy subjects (M/F=152/148; aged 52±13 years) who were admitted for routine physical check-up. Family history, serum lipids and lipoproteins, glucose levels and mercury sphygmomanometer blood pressure measurements were obtained. The risk for CVD in each individual was assessed using the Framingham Risk Score system. Significant correlations were found between unadjusted BD and age, measures of blood pressure, height, body mass index, total cholesterol levels, LDL-cholesterol levels, and glucose levels. Multivariate regression analyses showed that age, systolic and diastolic blood pressures and glucose levels independently predicted changes in BD. There was a significantly negative correlation between BD and the Framingham risk scores (r=-0.45, P＜0.0001). Subjects with a 10-year risk for a future coronary heart disease events of ＜10% had significantly higher BD than those whose risk for coronary heart disease was 10% (6.12±1.25%/mmHg vs. 4.94±1.2%/mmHg, P=0.0001). These findings indicate that non-invasive measures of BD are effective in assessing CVD risk.