Use of Cardio-ankle Vascular Index in Obese People, in whom It Decreases

Abstract

Objective: The cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) is an indicator of arterial stiffness, and its measurement in obese individuals often produces good results. We analyzed CAVI results to determine how to use CAVI effectively in these individuals.

Methods: We investigated CAVI measurements in health check-ups for 3 years. We analyzed the CAVI results for persons with and without obesity and investigated the effect of obesity on CAVI by multiple regression analysis. Vascular ages calculated from CAVI measurements for with and without obesity were also analyzed. In addition, we investigated whether there was an increase in cerebral small vessel diseases (SVDs) on brain MRI in obese individuals with a low vascular age.

Results: We investigated 839 health check-up examinees. Obese examinees had significantly more cardiovascular disease risk factors than non-obese examinees. In addition, the CAVI of obese individuals (7.7) was significantly lower than that of non-obese individuals (8.0). From multiple regression analysis, we estimated that obesity decreased CAVI by 0.36. At 47.6% (99/208), the proportion of obese examinees with a lower vascular age was significantly higher than that for non-obese examinees of 37.2% (235/631). There was no significant difference in the prevalence of SVDs between obese examinees with a low vascular age and non-obese participants with a normal vascular age.

Conclusions: Obesity significantly reduces CAVI. When assessing CAVI in obese individuals, it is necessary to develop plans that do not to disrupt their lifestyles. On the other hand, as there was no increase in SVDs in obese examinees with a low vascular age, this might reflect a healthy obesity status.