ARTERIAL RIGIDITY AND PULSE WAVE VELOCITY (PWV) AS PREDICTORS OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES: AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW

Abstract

Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases respond annually for a great cause of deaths in the world, with this, studies about non-invasive methods such as pulse wave velocity (PWV) for the assessment of arterial stiffness, a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases, arise. Objective: To demonstrate the importance and applicability of arterial stiffness in clinical practice and in the early diagnosis of factors that may predispose cardiovascular diseases. Materials and methods: Integrative review of articles that addressed the proposed theme. The articles were searched in the LILACS and Scielo databases. Results and discussion: In the results it was possible to improve the knowledge about arterial stiffness and use of the method of evaluation of that stiffness through the calculation of PWV and its relationship with cardiovascular diseases. Final considerations: It is possible to conclude that the PWV can be considered a simple, non-invasive method, but very effective in the assessment of arterial stiffness and thus contributing to a better risk stratification for patients with cardiovascular diseases or with a potential risk of developing them.