Arterial stiffness assessed by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity between patients with acute coronary syndrome and stable angina

Objective: Increased arterial stiffness is a component in the progression of atherosclerosis. The present study retrospectively assessed the association between arterial stiffness, and the presence of stable angina and acute coronary syndrome in patients who were admitted for chest pain without any previous history of ischemic heart disease. Methods: Data were collected from 499 consecutive patients who had undergone brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and an coronary angiogram for coronary artery disease (CAD) or acute coronary syndrome (ACS) between January 2012 and March 2013 at a single cardiovascular center. Patients were divided to stable angina pectoris (SAP), Non ST elevation myocardial infarction/Unstable angina (NSTEMI/UA), and ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) group. Results: The number of diseased vessel, SYNTAX score and baPWV were significantly higher in the NSTEMI/UA group compared with the SAP and STEMI group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed factors related to NSTEMI/UA and STEMI as reference of SAP. Hypertension, dyslipidemia, HDL, number of diseased vessels, SYNTAX score and baPWV were significantly related to the existence of NSTEMI/UA. Diabetes mellitus and SYNTAX score were negatively correlated with the existence of STEMI. Conclusions: SYNTAX score, number of diseased vessels and baPWV were significantly higher in patients with NSTEMI/UA than in those with SAP and STEMI, independent of other parameters related to arteriosclerosis which might be caused by acute myocardial ischemia or increased CAD complexity. We have demonstrated predictive value of atherosclerosis marker for CAD complexity in non-ST segment elevation acute coronary syndrome patients.