Association between carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity and overall cardiovascular risk score assessed by the SCORE system in urban Polish population

Background: The Systemic COronary Risk Estimation (SCORE) system is recommended for the assessment of cardiovascular disease (CVD) death risk in individuals free of CVD. Aim: We sought to determine the association between carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (CFPWV) and SCORE. Methods: The study involved 1008 Krakow residents, and a random subsample of 3424 men and 3205 women who participated in Wave 2 of the Polish part of the Health, Alcohol, and Psychosocial factors in Eastern Europe (HAPIEE) study. At baseline we performed a medical interview, physical examination, evaluation of present comorbidities, medications using standardised methods. A follow-up of 4.9 years included measurement of CFPWV using an automatic, computerised Complior (R) system. Results: Final analysis included 720 patients (378 women), aged 58.5 +/- 6.5 years at baseline. In 488 individuals without history of CVD and/or diabetes, SCORE was calculated. Median CFPWV was higher (p = 0.002) in men (12.5 m/s; interquartile range [IQR] 10.3-15.7) than in women (11.7 m/s; IQR 10.1-13.7). High CFPWV (> 10 m/s) was observed in 270 men (78.9%) and in 285 women (75.4%). We observed a strong association between high CVD risk (SCORE >= 5%) and high CFPWV (odds ratio 2.29; 95% confidence interval 1.17-4.46). The CFPWV cut-off value to differentiate between patients with low and high CVD risk was 11.7 m/s (with 58.6% sensitivity and 71.3% specificity, AUC = 0.68). Conclusions: Our study is the first to describe the distribution of CFPWV in the adult Polish population. SCORE >= 5% predicted high CFPWV in 4.9 years of follow-up, which was independent of other risk factors. CFPWV > 11.7 m/s was most valid in relation to high CVD risk.