The assessment of carotid–femoral distance for aortic pulse wave velocity: Should it be estimated from body height?☆
Received 12 January 2009; received in revised form 12 January 2010; accepted 18 January 2010. published online 12 February 2010.
Summary
Background
Aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) can be biased by the measurement of carotid–femoral (c-f) distance on body surface. We wondered whether the estimation of distance according to body height could be used.
Methods
Three cohorts of altogether 596 subjects (mean age 58.9 years) were studied. PWV was measured by Sphygmocor. The c-f distance was 1. measured by tape, 2. estimated from height which was multiplied by 0.29 (=median ratio of measured c-f distance to body height).
Results
Difference in PWV calculated by the two methods (measuredminusestimated) increased with PWV: in 10th decile (>12.88m/s), it was on the average +0.8m/s. In multiple regression analysis, this difference depended highly significantly on PWV, weight and male gender (positive associations) and height (negative association); there were no associations with age, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, or presence of cardiovascular disease.
Conclusions
The difference between measured and estimated value was mild even in subjects with the highest measured PWV and it was not influenced by the risk profile of the subjects. The estimated PWV values showed regression to the mean; this phenomenon could be due to lower precision of the estimation, but also due to false high measured values of the c-f distance in obese subjects. Estimation of c-f distance from body height would probably reduce bias due to body dysproportion. The best method of the distance assessment, however, must be determined in larger cohorts where the relationship to cardiovascular morbidity/mortality endpoints can be evaluated.
Department of Internal Medicine II, Charles University Medical Faculty Pilsen, Czech Republic
Corresponding author. Department of Internal Medicine II, Charles University Medical Faculty and Teaching Hospital Pilsen, E. Beneše 13, 305 99 Pilsen, Czech Republic.
☆ The study was supported by the European Framework Programmes, Project LSHM-CT-2006-037093: Integrating Genomics, Clinical Research and Care in Hypertension (InGenious HyperCare), and Project HEALTH-2007-2.1.1-2: European Network for Genetic-Epidemiological Studies: building a method to dissect complex genetic traits, using essential hypertension as a disease model (HyperGenes).
ABSTRACT