Carotid-Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity in Healthy Spanish Children: Reference Percentile Curves.

Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) measurement is an appropriate method for determining arterial stiffness and is a useful tool for early detection of cardiovascular disease. However, the lack of reference values due to the difficulty in accessing healthy child populations, among other causes, has limited its use in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to create reference cfPWV percentile curves for healthy children. The initial sample consisted of 350 girls and boys aged 8 to 11 years. The cfPWV per age and sex were generated using the lambda-mu-sigma (LMS) technique. The effects of sex, age, arterial pressure, and body mass index were taken into account. The main result of this study is the age- and height-specific cfPWV reference percentile curves for girls and boys. Curves were obtained for both sexes, since sexual differences were observed in growth and development rates that may affect cfPWV.