Pulse wave velocity (PWV)
DEPulswellengeschwindigkeit (PWV)
Pulse wave velocity (PWV) measures how fast the pressure wave from each heartbeat travels along your arteries. It is the non-invasive gold standard for arterial stiffness. The most validated version is carotid-femoral PWV (cf-PWV), measured over the aorta with tonometry or cuff-based devices. The European Society of Hypertension flags a cf-PWV above 10 m/s (in people with high blood pressure) as pathological aortic stiffness. What makes arteries stiff? The wall's makeup, cross-linking of its structural proteins, elastin fragmentation, and smooth-muscle tone all play a part. Stiffness rises with age, and faster with high blood pressure, diabetes, and kidney disease. Big prospective studies show cf-PWV independently predicts heart events and death, beyond the usual risk factors, even in people without known heart disease.
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Sources
- Blacher J, Asmar R, Djane S, London GM, Safar ME. (1999). Aortic Pulse Wave Velocity as a Marker of Cardiovascular Risk in Hypertensive Patients. *Hypertension*doi:10.1161/01.HYP.33.5.1111
- Sutton-Tyrrell K, Najjar SS, Boudreau RM, et al.. (2005). Elevated Aortic Pulse Wave Velocity, a Marker of Arterial Stiffness, Predicts Cardiovascular Events in Well-Functioning Older Adults. *Circulation*doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.104.483628