To evaluate the validity of Aortic Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV) as a non invasive method for diagnosis of atherosclerosis, we measured PWV for 231 Japanese diabetic subjects in Hiroshima and 522 Japanese-Americans in Hawaii, both are known to have high incidence of arteriosclerotic diseases.
In Hiroshima diabetics age, systolic blood pressure, duration of diabetes but not fasting blood sugar, HbA1c, serum lipids and PWV were positively and significantly correlated. Diabetics with ischemic change of ECG, calcification of aorta observed in chest X-P and sclerotic change of retinal artery showed significantly higher PWV than those without.
In Japanese-Americans age, blood pressure, 2 hours blood glucose post 50g OGTT, uric acid but not obesity index, smoking habit, plasma cholesterol, triglyceride showed positive and significant correlation with PWV. Serum HDL-cholesterol was negatively correlated with PWV. It also appeared that sum of IRI post 50g glucose load which subdevided into five groups positively and significantly correlated with PWV. Subjects with arteriosclerotic diseases as determined by Rose's questionaire had significantly higher PWV than those without.
Thus PWV correlate many risk factors for atherosclerosis and is thought to be useful as non invasive diagnostic method for atherosclerosis. But it should be prudent to diagnose atherosclerosis only by PWV.
