Background & Aims: Associations of poorer lung function (LF) with atherosclerosis and/or arterial stiffness (AS) have been suggested as potential mechanisms explaining the increased cardiovascular risk associated to poorer LF (e.g. in COPD patients but also in the general population). We have therefore examined, in a population of young adults, whether: 1) LF was inversely associated with stiffness of central (i.e. aorta) and peripheral (i.e. upper and lower limbs) arterial segments; 2) these associations were similar in smokers and non-smokers; and 3) low-grade inflammation played a mediating role.

Methods: Subjects were 286 young adults (mean age of 23 yrs), participating in the NIYHP. LF [i.e. forced expiratory volume in 1s (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC), expressed in L] was measured by spirometry. AS was assessed by measuring pulse wave velocity (PWV, in m/s) in 3 arterial segments.

Results: After adjustment for sex, age, height, weight, MAP, smoking and asthma status, both FEV1 and FVC were inversely associated with PWV of all 3 arterial segments, but more strongly and significantly so with PWV of the lower limb segment only: [b=−0.23 (95%CI:−0.38; −0.08), p=0.004 and b=−0.22 (−0.41;−0.02), p=0.029, respectively]. No significant interactions with smoking status were observed. Further adjustment for markers of low-grade inflammation (i.e. CRP and fibrinogen) did not attenuate the associations of FEV1 [b=−0.24 (−0.38;−0.08) or FVC [b=−0.22 (−0.42;−0.03)] with PWV of the lower limb.

Conclusions: Young adults with poorer LF have increased peripheral AS. We found no evidence that low-grade inflammation underlies this association, and other mechanisms need to be explored.