The relationship between AASI and arterial atherosclerosis in ESRD patients

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between ambulatory blood pressure and arterial atherosclerosis and provide simple and easy reference indicators for the prediction, prevention and prognosis of cardiovascular events in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. METHOD: This prospective study consecutively collected clinical data of 114 ESRD hospitalized patients in the Department of Nephrology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University during August 2012 to December 2012. The data included laboratory data, the ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM), carotid ultrasound, two-dimensional echocardiography and the prognosis scores of the death risk. RESULTS: (1) A series of ABPM parameters were closely associated with atherosclerosis (p ≤ 0.05). Ambulatory Arterial Stiffness Index (AASI) was the most representative parameter of ABPM and also the best indicator for atherosclerosis (logistic regression analysis, p = 0.005). (2) AASI was a comprehensive index of atherosclerosis (p < 0.001), which was associated with the increase of left ventricular diameter (p = 0.028) and the risk of death (p < 0.001). The independent risk factors of AASI were the growth of the age (p < 0.001), elevated serum fibrinogen (p = 0.009) and reduced serum albumin (p = 0.022). CONCLUSION: AASI, as the representative of ABPM parameters, related well to atherosclerosis, which implied a broader application of ABPM in ESRD patients.