Circulating malondialdehyde-modified low-density lipoprotein (MDA-LDL) acts as a marker of oxidative stress and is associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The relationship between serum MDA-LDL levels and aortic stiffness (AS) in patients with hemodialysis (HD) was evaluated. There were 155 HD patients enrolled in this study. Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) was measured by a validated tonometry system. Patients with cfPWV >10 m/s were used to define the AS group, while those with values of ≤10 m/s were regarded as the control group. Serum MDA-LDL levels were measured using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Sixty-eight patients (43.9%) who were defined as AS sufferers, and were older, had a higher percentage of diabetes and hypertension and higher systolic blood pressure and serum MDA-LDL level compared to subjects in the control group. After adjusting for factors significantly associated with AS by multivariable logistic regression analysis, it was revealed that serum MDA-LDL levels, diabetes, and hypertension were independent predictors of AS in HD patients. Multivariable forward stepwise linear regression analysis also showed that a logarithmically transformed MDA-LDL level was significantly correlated with cfPWV values in HD patients. In HD patients, a high serum MDA-LDL level was positively associated with cfPWV values and was a significant predictor of the development of high AS.
Keywords: aortic stiffness; carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity; hemodialysis; malondialdehyde-modified low-density lipoprotein.