Arterial Stiffness Estimation in Hypertension

Arterial stiffness can be estimated noninvasively with various methods. Pulse pressure (PP), pulse wave velocity (PWV), stiffness index (SI), stroke volume (SV)/PP, proximal compliance (C₁) and distal compliance (C₂) are reported to be associated with arterial stiffness and can be used as predictors of cardiovascular events. 452 subjects were involved in the present study, mentioned six indices were obtained and compared to verify if they are suitable for the arterial stiffness estimation and which one is the most sensitive marker of arterial stiffness in hypertension. It is found that PWV has a good correlation with PP, SI and C₂, and it is an effective index to distinguish hypertensive from normotensive. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis also evidenced the good performance of PWV in the diagnosis of hypertension. It is concluded that PWV is superior to other indices in reliably predicting arterial stiffness in hypertensive