Association of the visceral adiposity index with arterial stiffness in elderly Chinese population

Background: The visceral adiposity index (VAI) is a new marker of adipose dysfunction and related with cardiometabolic risk. The aim of this study is to investigate the association of VAI with arterial stiffness in elderly Chinese population.Methods: A total of 1,707 elderly individuals over 60 years of age were recruited for this cross-sectional study. We measured body composition, anthropometrics, blood pressure, and lipid parameters. The arterial stiffness was measured by brachial -ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and defined as baPWV >= 1400 cm/s. VAI was calculated based on body mass index, waist circumference, triglyceride and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Multivariable regression analysis was performed to evalu-ate the association between VAI and baPWV.Results: There were significant differences in VAI tertiles between low-baPWV and high-baPWV group (p = 0.008). Univariate analysis demonstrated that age, history of hypertension, SBP, DBP, total cholesterol, fasting glucose, the higher VAI tertiles were correlated with the existence of high-baPWV (p < 0.05). Participants in the higher VAI tertiles had higher OR (1.0 <= VAI < 1.74: OR= 2.89, 95% CI [1.44, 5.80]; VAI >= 1.75: OR = 4.23, 95% CI [1.45, 12.37], p for trend: 0.004) comparing with the lowest VAI tertile. Non-linear relationship was detected between VAI and baPWV. VAI was positively correlated with baPWV when VAI < 2.10.Conclusions: This study demonstrates that VAI is independently associated with the risk of arterial stiffness in elderly population.

Automated summary

This study investigates the association between visceral adiposity index (VAI) and arterial stiffness in elderly Chinese population. The results show a significant positive correlation between VAI and arterial stiffness. This finding has important implications for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases in the elderly.