Recent publications on Residual Risk

Arterial stiffness is strongly predictive of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. In this community-based, longitudinal cohort from China, lower triglyceride levels were significantly associated with decreases in carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, indicative of improved arterial function. The study measured carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity [PWV] and carotid-radial PWV in 1,447 subjects (mean age, 61.3 years). Over a median follow-up of 4.8 years, they showed that plasma triglycerides were independently associated with carotid-femoral and carotid-radial PWV (both p<0.001). This association was even stronger in older individuals (>65 years). Using multivariate logistic regression analysis, the investigators showed that every 1 standard deviation increase in plasma triglycerides was associated with a 1.296-increased likelihood of the presence of carotid-femoral PWV (odds ratio 1.296; 95 % CI 1.064 - 1.580; p = 0.01). The investigators concluded that lowering plasma triglycerides offers the potential for improvement in arterial stiffness in individuals with atherosclerotic disease.