The possibilities of the new START indicator in the assessment of vascular stiffness in healthy individuals

Objective. To study the possibility of using the new arterial stiffness index START in healthy individuals of different ages. Design and methods. The study included data from healthy individuals without any medical history (n = 190), 121 men and 69 women aged 25–64 years. Arterial stiffness was assessed for all subjects on the VaSera VS-1000 device (Fukuda Denshi, Japan). As an additional parameter, the new domestic stiffness index START was analyzed retrospectively. Results. The average age of the participants was 37,0 ± 8,1 years, 63,7 % men. The median of the CAVI index was 6,6 on the right, 6,7 on the left. The median of the START index was 5,02 on the right, 5,3 on the left. A strong correlation between CAVI and START indicators was found (r = 0,829, p < 0,001). The relationship of age with the CAVI and START indices was established (CAVI r = 0,469, p < 0,001, START r = 0,49, p < 0,001). The dependence of vascular wall stiffness indicators on smoking experience (CAVI r = 0,458, p < 0,001, START r = 0,466, p < 0,001), glomerular filtration rate (GFR) (CAVI r = –0,265, p < 0,001, START r = –0,282, p < 0,001) was found. The gender features of the dependence of vascular wall stiffness on the level of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) (in women, CAVI r = 0,241, p = 0,048; START r = 0,358, p = 0,003) and body mass index (BMI) (in women, CAVI r = 0,411, p = 0,027, START r = 0,374, p = 0,046). Conclusions. When examining healthy individuals, a high correlation of the new START index with the CAVI index was shown both in the whole sample and in men and women separately. The START index had a statistically significant correlation with age, smoking experience and GFR among all surveyed, as well as with HDL and BMI in women.