Echocardiographic assessment of aortic wall elasticity in apparently healthy individuals: the association with age and serum total cholesterol.

Abstract

Background: The aortic elastic properties are relevant at several sites of cardiovascular. Increased arterial stiffness is an independent risk factor and predictor of cardiovascular mortality and an early predictor of coronary risk useful in screening. Therefore the evaluation of arterial stiffness may be important for clinical diagnosis and intervention in cardiovascular disease.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to show the effect of age and total serum cholesterol on the percent wall thickness change, after adjusting for stroke volume.

Methodology: A cross-sectional study using two-dimensional and Doppler of blood flow of aortic root echocardiography was preformed for a random sample of 60 apparently healthy males with an age ranging between 17 and 75 year. Aortic wall elasticity was assessed by percent wall thickness change.

Results: Using multivariate modelling it was shown that age, serum cholesterol and stroke volume were a statistically significant independent predictors of Aortic wall elasticity (assessed by percent wall thickness change), after adjusting for blood pressure and BMI. Age and serum total cholesterol had an average ROC area of round 0.7 when used to predict high rigidity of Aortic artery. An age of 68 years and above was 95% specific in detecting rigid artic artery with low sensitivity 30%. A serum total cholesterol of 199 mg/di and above was associated with sensitivity of 50% and specificity of 85% in detecting rigid aortic artery.

Conclusion: Being in the sixth decade of life and having a serum cholesterol of >200 mg/dl will predict a rigid aorta with a reasonably high specificity. Measurements of aortic artery elasticity using Echocardiography is simple and may contribute to cardiovascular risk assessment.