Lipid profile is associate with the Arterial Stiffness indexes:
Dyslipidemia is a major risk factor for CVD as the main cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide (18). Several studies have demonstrated the correlation of lipid profiles with CVD. However, the findings are controversial (19, 20). An important determinant of cardiovascular risk is AS, and few studies have investigated the association of lipids and related ratios with AS that measured by PWV (5), but not cAIx. In agreement with the current observation, Kawasoe et al. showed the association between TGs and PWV in a general Japanese population with normal low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels (21).
Moreover, observational studies found that TGs were positively associated with AS evaluated by PWV (22, 23). Conversely, Longitudinal study failed to reveal the significant association between TGs and AS measured by PWV. However, it has been shown that an increase in TGs levels of 48 mg/dL causes in a 1.0% higher PWV (24). Zhao et al. reported that the levels of TGs, total cholesterol, and non-HDL-C, except non-HDL-C/HDL-C ratio were not significantly associated with PWV in middle-aged and elderly Chinese participants (9). The discrepancies among studies attributed to differences in the characteristics of participants, age, and measurement methods of AS. The present study performed on the community-based sample with a healthy condition (self-declaration), unlike previous studies that selected participants with metabolic syndrome and diabetes (22, 24, 25). Also, cardiovascular risk factors that can induce arterial wall damage and AS is higher in elderly subjects, which may impact on results of previous studies (9, 23).
Besides, we evaluated the systemic AS by cAIx that expresses the ratio of the augmented pressure to the pulse pressure, which provides information on the stiffness of the small vessels and large arteries (26). In agreement with the current analysis, Janner et al. performed the cross-sectional study for examining the association between AIx and cholesterol in different ages and both genders. The authors reported the association between AIx and cholesterol in both genders only in subjects aged less than 60 years (27). Another study did not identify a significant association of dyslipidemia with AS measured with AIx, whereas they reported a significant relationship between total cholesterol levels and AIx value (28).
Several potential mechanisms may explain the observed relationship between TGs, cholesterol, and AS. Elevated TGs may be induced reactive oxygen species and independently related to the insulin resistance and smaller LDL-C particles, which are more atherogenic (29). The effects of insulin resistance on AS can be mediated by the imbalance production of important AS’ regulators, including nitric oxide and endothelin-1 (30). Insulin resistance may also lead to vessel wall hypertrophy and fibrosis, which can attribute to the activity of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and expression of angiotensin II receptors in vascular tissue (30).