Influence of Metabolic Syndrome on Brachial-Ankle Pulse Wave Velocity

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is characterized by a core set of disorders, including abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia, glucose intolerance and hypertension. Many studies have shown that MetS is associated with increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and related mortality. However, the relationship of MetS with early stage of cardiovascular diseases, which is even more important from a prevention prespective, has not been examined extensively. Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) is known to predict future cardiovascular events. Thus, we examined the relationship of MetS, defined using the NCEP-ATP III criteria, with baPWV. Methods: We examined a total of 400 participants who did not have a past history of either coronary heart disease or peripheral vascular disease. All subjects underwent physical examination, blood chemistry, and baPWV. Results: Compared with subjects without MetS, subjects with MetS had increased age, body mass index (BMI), and ALT. Mean value of baPWV (adjusted for age, BMI, and blood pressure) was significantly higher in subjects with MetS (P=0.002). The baPWV was positively correlated with age, BMI, systolic and diastolic blood pressure in subjects with MetS. In group without MetS, the baPWV was associated with age, waist circumference, blood pressure, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglyceride, fasting blood sugar, AST, ALT, homocysteine, CRP, and ferritin. The mean values of baPWV with 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 components of MetS were 1,362.3⁑182.2 cm/s, 1,531.3⁑267.0 cm/s, 1,694.1⁑315.8 cm/s, 1,777.0⁑334.0 cm/s, 2,087.7⁑192.3 cm/s, respectively. Conclusion: In this study, the MetS was associated with the risk for increased baPWV.ope