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).