Article ID: ND22-041
Objective: Cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis are major public health problems that share common pathophysiological mechanisms besides aging. This study aimed to investigate the possible association between bone mineral density (BMD) and arterial stiffness measured by cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) in the Japanese general population without overt cardiac disease.
Methods: The study population was 1,242 consecutive participants who underwent cardiovascular health check-ups at the University of Tokyo Hospital. After excluding participants with coronary artery disease, peripheral arterial disease, atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter, decreased left ventricular systolic function, and pacemaker implantation, 1,169 men and women were analyzed. The calcaneus BMD was assessed by quantitative ultrasound methods. Cardiovascular functions were evaluated with CAVI, left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LVGLS), peak early diastolic transmitral velocity (E)/peak early diastolic mitral annular velocity(e′) (E/e′), and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) measurements.
Results: In univariate analysis, BMD was associated with CAVI, E/e′ and IMT along with other cardiovascular risk factors except for diabetes (r=−0.162, p<0.001, r=−0.203, p<0.001, r=−0.113, p<0.001, respectively), whereas no association was identified between BMD and LVGLS. In multivariate analysis, after adjustment for pertinent confounding variables, only CAVI remained associated with low BMD (estimated coefficient=0.0050, p=0.004), but the direction of association was opposite and smaller in size compared to univariate analysis.
Conclusions: This study is the first to examine the relationship between BMD and multiple cardiovascular measurements in the Japanese general population without overt cardiovascular disease and has demonstrated the partial relationship of osteoporotic state and enhanced arterial stiffness, as evaluated by CAVI.
