Hypertension research : official journal of the Japanese Society of Hypertension
-
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the most common diseases throughout the world. To investigate the relationship between brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and arterial atherosclerosis and peripheral artery disease (PAD) and its potential diagnostic value in diagnosing arterial sclerosis, a self-designed questionnaire and special machine designed by Colin Corp., Ltd. were implemented to measure the level of baPWV and the ankle-brachial index (ABI) and their relations to coronary and peripheral artery atherosclerosis. The results showed that baPWV and ABI were equally effective at predicting stenosis of the coronary arteries and stenosis of the arteries of the lower extremities. ⋯ The simultaneous measurement of bilateral baPWV and ABI using the newly developed equipment presented herein is highly recommended, and should play an important role in predicting the possibility of cardiovascular diseases and the degree of coronary artery lesions. It is important to note that baPWV is not only one of the risk factors in the presence of coronary stenosis, but also a substitute index of target-organ damage, another parameter in predicting PAD. The current study indicated that a baPWV>1,800 cm/s often follows a severe coronary artery event, while baPWV>2,100 cm/s may be related to potential PAD. baPWV measurement is helpful to make new standard of diagnosing PAD in Chinese cohorts.