Association between pulse wave velocity and coronary atherosclerosis

Background – Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is considered a more direct and accurate measure of arterial stiffness. This study explored the relationship between PWV and the presence and severity of coronary artery calcification (CAC) and coronary artery plaque (CAP). Methods – The current study was a cross-sectional analysis of data from the Miami Heart Study (MiHeart). The primary outcome variable of this study was the CAC score. The secondary outcome was the presence of CAC and CAP. Multivariable logistic regression and Bayesian linear regression were used to find the association between PWV CAC and CAP. Results – A total of 2359 participants were included in the study. The mean age (SD) of the sample was 53.4 (6.8) years and 50.4% were men. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that the odds of having CAC greater than 0 was significantly higher with increasing PWV [odds ratio (OR): 1.09, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01–1.18]. Similarly, multivariable logistic regression analysis also showed that the odds for CAP were significantly higher with increasing PWV (OR: 1.14, 95% CI: 1.06–1.23). The results of Bayesian linear regression analysis showed that there was a significant association between PWV and log CAC score. Conclusion – In a large sample of participants from the community and without a history of known cardiovascular disorder, we found that an increase in PWV was associated with the presence of CAC and CAP. In addition, we also found that PWV was associated with severity of CAC as well. Our findings show that PWV could be an important marker of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis in the general population.