Abstract
Early arteriosclerosis can be prevented by medication and life style changes. However, late cardiac disease, called cardiovascular disease, could be fatal or have severe sequelae. Therefore, it is important to develop a method for early diagnosis. Since no symptoms become evident until endothelial/vascular dysfunction, a simple and sensitive diagnostic method using a biological parameter needs to be developed for prevention and medical treatment.
Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a noninvasive and simple measure for evaluating arterial wall stiffness and several studies have indicated this is a good marker for vascular damage, although not all results were consistent.
This review concerns the following three aspects:
1. PWV as a marker of vascular damage
2. PWV as a prognostic predictor
3. Brachial-ankle PWV (baPWV)
Blood pressure is strongly related with PWV, along with BMI, fasting blood glucose, and cholesterol. However, no relation was rated cigarette smoking. While many reports have shown that rise of PWV can serve as a prognostic predictor of disease, the situation with baPWV remains unclear.
It is to be expected that improvements in methods for PWV will greatly contribute to primary and secondary prevention in the future.
