Arterial stiffness expressed as brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity and gait assessment independent of lower extremity strength: a cross-sectional study in the older men population.

Background: Older men are more vulnerable to fatal falls than women, and gait disturbances contribute to the risk of falls. Studies have assessed the association between arterial stiffness and gait dysfunction, but the results have been inconclusive. This study aimed to conduct a cross-sectional analysis to evaluate the association between brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and gait assessment in older men.

Methods: Data from the 2014-2015 Korea Institute of Sport Science Fitness Standards project were used for the analysis. The inclusion criteria were men aged > 65 years with gait assessment [the 30-s chair stand test (30s-CST), the timed up and go (TUG) test, the figure-of-8 walk (F8W) test, the 2-min step test (2MST), and the 6-min walk test (6MWT)] and baPWV measurement data. Generalized linear regression analysis was conducted with multiple confounding factor adjustments, including lower extremity isometric strength.

Results: A total of 291 participants were included in the analysis. The mean age was 71.38 ± 4.40 years. The mean values were as follows: (1) 30s-CST, 17.48 ± 5.00; (2) TUG test, 6.01 ± 1.10 s; (3) F8W test, 25.65 ± 4.71 s; (4) 2MST, 102.40 ± 18.83 per 2 min; and (5) 6MWT, 500.02 ± 85.65 m. After multivariable adjustment, baPWV was associated with the 6MWT ( = -0.037, 95% CI: -0.072--0.002), TUG test ( = 0, 95% CI: 0.000-0.001), and F8W test ( = 0.002, 95% CI: 0.000-0.004). baPWV was not associated with the 30s-CST and 2MST.

Conclusions: The current study showed a statistically significant association between gait assessments and arterial stiffness, independent of lower extremity strength. However, this association was modest. Future prospective studies are needed to elucidate the complex relationship between arterial stiffness and gait dysfunction.