Arterial Stiffening and Clinical Outcomes in Dialysis Patients.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in dialysis patients. Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) is more efficient to handily assess arteriosclerosis than aortic PWV. The cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) is also a novel blood pressure-independent arterial stiffness parameter. In dialysis patients, both baPWV and CAVI are increased compared to general subjects. Several studies have demonstrated that increased baPWV is associated with carotid atherosclerosis and diastolic left ventricular dysfunction in hemodialysis (HD) patients. In addition, higher baPWV is related to all-cause and cardiovascular (CV) mortality. CAVI is similarly associated with CVD. However, baPWV is superior to CAVI as a predictor of CV outcomes in HD patients. Besides these outcomes, a close relationship exists between sarcopenia, abdominal visceral obesity and arterial stiffening. Reduction of thigh muscle mass is inversely correlated with baPWV and CAVI in males. Abdominal fatness is also associated with increased arterial stiffness in females. These observations provide further evidence of higher risk of CV events in HD patients with sarcopenic obesity. In addition, arterial stiffness is associated with cerebral small vessel disease and decreased cognitive function in the elderly. However, it is unknown whether arterial stiffness may be useful as an early indicator of cognitive decline in dialysis patients. Because dialysis patients are at risk of developing dementia, more studies are needed to elucidate the causal link between arterial stiffness and cognitive impairment.