Validation of cardio-ankle vascular index as a marker of risk of stroke in older adults in St Petersburg and Bashkortostan

Background . Arterial stiffness is an independent prognostic factor for cardiovascular events and target organ damage related to hypertension. Objective . To determine the rate of age-related increase of cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) and to investigate the association between CAVI and cardiovascular events in older adults. Design and methods . This cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 older adults aged 60+ in Bashkortostan and St Petersburg. The following parameters were assessed: arterial stiffness (CAVI assessed by Vascular Screening System VaSera VS-1500), anthropometry, medical history and laboratory tests (glucose, lipids). Results. The CAVI is nonlinearly associated with age. In Bashkortostan, it was determined using the following equation: Mean ± SD (women) = (7,5454 + 0,01426 × age + 0,000002445 × age 3 ) ± (-11,8225 + 0,3681 x age — 0,002621 × age 2 ); Mean ± SD (men) = (12,1277-0,06924 × age + 0,000006745 × age 3 ) ± (12,52380,2833 × age + 0,001730 × age 2 ). The equation was validated in St Petersburg. CAVI was a higher predicting score in patients with a history of stroke than in those without a history of stroke. An increase in CAVI by 1 unit was associated with the 1,5-fold higher probability of a stroke in history, even after adjusting for age, gender and multimorbidity [odds ratio (95 % confidence interval) = 1,66 (1,16-2.38)]. Conclusion. We determined the rate of CAVI score increase with age. We developed and validated a new equation to predict CAVI in older adults in different age. We defined the values of CAVI score associated with the history of stroke in adults aged 60 years and older.