Key result
Higher skin microvascular peak oxygen saturation is linked to ~5% lower odds of CAC per unit.
Why the study?
The association between skin microvascular function, coronary atherosclerosis, and left ventricular dysfunction in a general population was investigated.
Does impaired skin microvascular function (lower post-occlusive peak oxygen saturation) associate with prevalent coronary atherosclerosis and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in a general population of adults aged 50–65 years?
Cross-Sectional (n=3,809)
No
Does impaired skin microvascular function (lower post-occlusive peak oxygen saturation) associate with prevalent coronary atherosclerosis and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in a general population of adults aged 50–65 years?
In a large middle-aged general population cohort, impaired forearm skin microvascular function (lower post-occlusive peak oxygen saturation) is independently associated with coronary artery calcification and correlates with coronary plaque burden and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, supporting its potential as a non-invasive marker of subclinical cardiovascular organ damage.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Should not yet change clinical risk assessment; hypothesis-generating for microvascular markers in coronary atherosclerosis.
This study investigates the association between skin microvascular function, coronary atherosclerosis and left ventricular dysfunction in a general population. The study included 3,809 individuals aged 50–65, derived from the Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study (SCAPIS). Skin microvascular function was assessed using combined laser Doppler flowmetry and white light diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. Coronary artery calcium score (CACS) was assessed by non-contrast enhanced cardiac computed tomography and coronary artery plaques were assessed by coronary computed tomography angiography. Cardiac function was evaluated by echocardiography. Individuals with coronary calcification (CACS > 0) were more likely to have lower peak oxygen saturation (OxyP) levels than those without coronary calcification (odds ratio (OR) 0.95, p < 0.001, 95% confidence intervals (CI): 0.94–0.96). Similar findings were observed when individuals with moderate to severe coronary calcification (CACS ≥ 100) were compared to those with lower levels of calcification after adjustment for age, sex, current smoking, body mass index (BMI), and hsCRP. Individuals with plaque in four 4 or more coronary segments, were more likely to have lower OxyP levels than individuals with plaque in fewer segments, (OR: 0.98, p = 0.035, CI: 0.95–1.00). Individuals with an elevated E/e’ ratio was also more likely to have lower OxyP levels than those with a normal E/e’ ratio (OR: 0.97, p = 0.003, CI: 0.95–0.99) after adjustment for age, sex and current smoking. However, these associations were no longer statistically significant when BMI and hsCRP was added to the model. In a middle-aged population-based setting, impaired skin microvascular function was associated with the presence of coronary atherosclerosis and cardiac dysfunction. Assessment of skin microvascular function could be a non-invasive, easily accessible indicator of cardiovascular organ damage.
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Bergstrand et al. (2026) conducted a cross-sectional in Coronary atherosclerosis and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in a general population (n=3,809). Skin microvascular function (post-occlusive peak oxygen saturation, OxyP) vs. Higher OxyP levels (per 1% unit increase or across quartiles) was evaluated on Presence of coronary artery calcification (CACS > 0 vs CACS = 0) (OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.94-0.96, p=<0.001). Lower skin microvascular peak oxygen saturation (OxyP) was associated with prevalent coronary artery calcification.
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