Reflection in the arterial system and the risk of coronary heart disease.

Background: Although it was reported that the augmentation index and inflection time are closely related to reflection in the arterial system and large artery function, it is not known whether these indices of the ascending aortic pressure waveform increase the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the aortic reflection of the ascending aortic pressure waveform is related to an increased risk of CHD.

Methods: We enrolled 190 men and women who had chest pain, normal contractions, no local asynergy, and no history of myocardial infarction. We measured the ascending aortic pressure using a fluid-filled system. The inflection time was defined as the time interval from initiation of a systolic pressure waveform to the inflection point. We investigated the association between the inflection time and augmentation index of the ascending aorta and the risk of CHD.

Results: Both the inflection time and augmentation index were associated with an increased risk of CHD. The crude prevalence rates of CHD were 66.0% for the shortest quartile and 10.6% for the longest quartile of the inflection time, and 17.0% for the lowest quartile and 40.4% for the highest quartile of the augmentation index. The multiple-adjusted odds ratio of CHD was 30.8 (95% confidence interval [CI] 7.43-128.05) for the shortest quartile of the inflection time compared with the longest quartile and was 3.82 (95% CI 1.26-11.59) for the highest quartile of the augmentation index compared with the lowest quartile.

Conclusions: The augmentation index and inflection time were associated with an increased risk of CHD.