Association of lipid profiles and the ratios with arterial stiffness in middle-aged and elderly Chinese

Background Serum lipids and the ratios are known to be associated with the cardiovascular diseases (CVD). However, the associations of serum lipids and the ratios related to arterial stiffness are unclear. We sought to compare the strength of these serum lipids and the ratios with arterial stiffness assessing by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) in the middle-aged and elderly Chinese subjects. Methods A total number of 1133 Chinese aged from 50 to 90 years old were recruited from Shanghai downtown district. The serum lipids, baPWV and major cardiovascular risk factors of the participants were measured. Results Participants with high baPWV exhibited higher levels of non-HDL-c, TC/HDL-c, TG/HDL-c, LDL-c/HDL-c, and non-HDL-c/HDL-c, while HDL-c worked in the opposite direction (all P<0.05). In addition, TC, TG, LDL-c, non-HDL-c, TC/HDL-c, TG/HDL-c, LDL-c/HDL-c, and non-HDL-c/HDL-c had a positive relationship with the baPWV value, while HDL-c was on the contrary (all P <0.05). Finally, individuals with high non-HDL-c/HDL-c (OR 1.71, 95% CI 1.06-2.55, P = 0.013) and low HDL-c (OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.35-0.96, P = 0.024) were seem to be at high risk of arterial stiffness. Conclusions As a risk indicator, non-HDL-c/HDL-c, which could be readily obtained from routine serum lipids, was significantly associated with baPWV. Non-HDL-c/HDL-c was superior to traditional lipid variables for estimating arterial stiffness in the middle-aged and elderly Chinese population.