A relationship between aortic stiffness and serum HDL3 cholesterol concentrations in hypercholesterolaemic, symptom-free men. The PCVMETRA Group (Groupe de Prévention Cardiovasculaire en Médecine du Travail).

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 (HDL2 cholesterol and HDL3 cholesterol), determined by electrophoresis.

RESULTS

PWV was related to HDL cholesterol (r = 0.21, p = 0.05) and more specifically to 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 hypercholesterolaemia 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.