The association between arterial stiffness and left ventricular filling pressure in an apparently healthy Korean population

Background The aim of this study is to investigate the association between arterial stiffness and left ventricular filling pressure in an apparently healthy Korean population. Methods A total of 115 healthy subjects without known cardiovascular risk factors or overt heart disease who underwent both transthoracic echocardiography and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) measurement at the same day during their routine check-ups were analyzed. Results The mean age of study subjects was 52.8 ± 8.4 years, and 78 (67.8%) were men. The mean baPWV value was 1,325 ± 185 cm/s. Study subjects were divided into 3 groups according to E/E’ value: subjects with E/E’ < 8, 8–12.9 and E/E’ ≥ 13. As E/E’ increased, baPWV value increased gradually: baPWV in subjects with E/E’ < 8, E/E’ 8–12.9 and E/E’ ≥ 13, were 1,261 ± 163, 1,345 ± 169, 1,569 ± 232 cm/s, respectively (p < 0.001). In multiple linear regression analyses, baPWV was significantly associated with E/E’ (β = 0.371, p < 0.001) after controlling confounders including age, sex and body mass index. In receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, the sensitivity and specificity for detection of E/E’ ≥ 10 were 78.6% and 59.8%, respectively with mean baPWV of 1,282 cm/s as the cut off value. The discriminatory capacity for predicting E/E’ ≥ 10 was improved from an area under the ROC curve of 0.646 with age alone to 0.734 when baPWV was added (p < 0.001). Conclusions There is a significant association between baPWV and E/E’ in an apparently healthy Korean population. BaPWV is useful as a simple and non-invasive method for early detection of increased LV filling pressure among these people.