Association Between Blood Pressure and Brachial-ankle Pulse Wave Velocity

Objectives To examine the association between blood pressure and arterial stiffness assessed by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity(baPWV) among relatively older Chinese people without stroke,myocardial infarction,pulmonary heart disease and malignant tumor.Methods One thousand and nine hundred fourteen apparently healthy older subjects aged ≥50 years enrolled from the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study(GBCS) for this cross-section study.Information on personal history,blood pressure,fasting plasma glucose and lipids were collected;baPWV was measured using an automated recording device.Subjects were classified into two groups according to the baPWV level(baPWV1400 cm/s,n=679 and baPWV≥1400 cm/s,n=1235).Results ① In subjects with baPWV≥1400 cm/s,the percentage with hypertension was significantly higher than those with baPWV1400 cm/s(50.8% vs 12.3%,P0.01).② After adjusting for age and sex,mean baPWV increased from the lowest tertiles of systolic blood pressure(SBP),DBP,and PP to the highest tertiles(all P0.01).③ After adjusting for multiple potential confounders,the odds ratios(95% CI) for higher baPWV(≥1400 cm/s) in the normal blood pressure and hypertension group were 3.6(2.8-4.7) and 10.0(7.5-13.4),respectively(P0.01) compared to those with optimal blood pressure.The odds ratios increased with increasing SBP,DBP,and PP(all P0.01).④ Multiple linear stepwise regression analys revealed that SBP was the most important determinant for baPWV.Conclusion Blood pressure is closely and positively associated with pulse wave velocity,suggesting that lower blood pressure,especially keeping blood pressure with