Brachial-Ankle Pulse Wave Velocity is Associated With the Risk of Osteoporosis: A Cross-Sectional Evidence From A Chinese Community-Based Cohort

Background: Association of arterial stiffness and osteoporosis has been investigated in Chinese population. However, the relationship between arterial stiffness and osteoporosis by measuring brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and the Osteoporosis Self‐assessment Tool for Asia (OSTA) index is not established. The object of this study was to evaluate possible associations between baPWV and the risk of osteoporosis and bone fracture among a population of Chinese. Whether baPWV can be used as a predictor of osteoporosis on OSTA was further assessed. Methods: This study was cross-sectional in design. Of 3,984 adults aged 40 years and older in the Yunyan district of Guiyang (Guizhou, China) who underwent both OSTA and baPWV measurements within one month , 1,407 were deemed eligible for inclusion (women: 1,088, men: 319) . Results: The mean baPWV was 1,475 ± 302 cm/s (range,766-3,459cm/s). baPWV in 110 individuals with high risk of osteoporosis (OSTA index < -4) was higher than that of individuals with non-high risk (1,733 ± 461 cm/s versus 1,447 ± 304 cm/s, P<0.001). OSTA index was negatively correlated with baPWV（ρ = -0.296，P < 0.001）after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, waist circumference, diastolic blood pressure and creatinine clearance rate. baPWV was an independent predictor for the presence of high risk of osteoporosis (β = -0.001, P < 0.001) and the optimal baPWV cut-off value for predicting the presence of high risk of osteoporosis and fracture was 1,693 cm/s. The AUC was 0.722 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.667‐0.777; P < 0.001). Conclusions : We conclude that arterial stiffness measured by baPWV is well correlated with the severity of osteoporosis evaluated by OSTA. baPWV index may be a valuable tool for identifying individuals with risk of developing osteoporosis.