A Relationship between Aortic Stiffness and Serum HDL 3 Cholesterol Concentrations in Hypercholesterolaemic,Symptom-Free Men

Abstract

Objective: We set out to evaluate the relationship between aortic stiffness and serum lipids and lipoprotein fractions, including high-density-lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol subfractions.

Methods: One hundred and five asymptomatic, normotensive, untreated, hypercholesterolaemic men underwent measurement of aortic pulse-wave velocity (PWV) by mecanography and assay of total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol and its subfractions (HLD₂ cholesterol and HDL₃ cholesterol), determined by electrophoresis.

Results: PWV was related to HDL cholesterol (r = 0.21, P = 0.05) and more specifically to the HDL₃ cholesterol subfraction (r = 0.29, P >0.01). The latter association remained significant after adjustment for systolic blood pressure and age. Multivariate analysis demonstrated an independent association of PWV (r² = 0.27, P <0.001) with age, systolic blood pressure and HDL₃ cholesterol.

Conclusion: Although hypercholesterolemia was not accompanied by increased aortic rigidity, there was a positive relationship between PWV and HDL cholesterol and between PWV and HDL₃ cholesterol independently of the influence of age and systolic blood pressure on PWV. These results suggest that, in hypercholesterolaemic men, HDL₃ could, in addition to its anti-atherogenic property, have a prosclerotic stiffening effect. This duality could explain why, in clinical studies, although the level of the HDL₂ subfraction is frequently associated with a lower incidence of coronary artery disease, results for the HDL₃ subfraction are less convincing and remain equivocal.