Background: High sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), a representative of an inflammatory cascade, has been established as a crucial independent risk factor of atherosclerosis from prior studies. Like Aortic stiffness, an indirect index of arterial distensibility, has a promising role in the forecast of cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) via cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), is one of the most reliable parameters of aortic stiffness. Nevertheless, the relationship between these two predictors has not been explored. The present study aims to prove the hypothesis that aortic stiffness, assessed by PWV, is related to an inflammatory process.
Objective: To determine the relationship between hs-CRP and PWV using velocity-encoded CMR.
Material and Method: Ninety patients referring for CMR owing to known or suspected coronary artery disease at Siriraj Hospital were consecutively enrolled into the present study from October 2010 to February 2011. Informed consent and baseline characteristic were recorded. Aortic stiffness, as assessed by PWV using CMR, was calculated as the ratio of distance from mid ascending to descending aorta (m) divided by time delay measured at 2 according sites (sec) hs-CRP was analyzed using Immunonephelometry assay by Seimens. The correlation between PWV and hs-CRP was analyzed using Pearson correlation method.
Results: The authors enrolled 90 patients with 48 male (53.3%), with a mean age of 68 + 10 years. The baseline characteristic revealed mean body mass index (BMI) 26.2 + 4.2 kg./sq m and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) 58.46 + 20.3%. Mean hs-CRP was 7.62+ 28.59 mg/l and PWV was 11.43 + 5.13 m/sec. There was significant correlation between PWV and hs-CRP (r = 0.251, p = 0.017) and PWV and age (r 0.244, p = 0.02).
Conclusion: The correlation of an inflammatory marker, hs-CRP and abnormal aortic property, PWV, has been established in this study, using a concept of MRI. This potentially reflects an inflammation as a contributor to an abnormal aortic wall property.

Keywords: Pulse wave velocity (PWV), hs-CRP, Aortic stiffness, magnetic resonance imaging