Arterial stiffness was assessed by pulse wave analysis in hypercholesterolemic subjects

Pressure wave propagation is influenced by the chronic atherosclerotic process. Arterial stiffness is an important determinant of cardiovascular risk, which may be regulated by the vascular endothelium. Hypercholesterolaemia is characterized by early and diffuse atherosclerotic involvement of the arterial tree, and is associated with endothelial disfunction. We studied 50 hypercholesterolemic (H) subjects uncomplicated disease and 10 healthy normocholesterolemic (N) subjects. Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity was assessed using two pressure transducers placed over the right sides was evaluated by ultrasonography technics in all subjetcs. Total serum cholesterol was significantly higher in H patients as compared with N patients (p<0.001). Only it was not significantly reduced in the uncomplicated disease subject with pulse wave velocity in 7.7.±1.1. m/s and 7.5±1.9 m/s with N patients. There were no significant differences in any of the other parameters, including blood pressure, heart rate or height. Pulse wave analysis is able to detect preclinical manifestations of arterial disease in high risk subjetcs. We have shown that H is associated with increased arterial stiffness. This way be explained, in part, by a reduction in the bioavailability of nitric oxide as a result of endothelial dysfunction in H. Moreover, studies are required to establish whether cholesterol lowering will reduce arterial stiffening which may assist in assessing the likely underlying cause of increased stiffness.