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Background: Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death worldwide. In this setting, Neck Circumference (NC) and Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV) are simple and valuable tools for an early evaluation of cardiovascular risk through the assessment of upper body obesity and arterial stiffness. However, the associations between both measurements have not been systematically explored. Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study representative of a neighborhood of Salvador-BA, Brazil. Data were collected between December 2016 and May 2019, and comprise 130 individuals for the present study. Variables such as age, sex, education levels and NC were analyzed to verify their associations with PWV status. Correlations between PWV and NC were performed to further depict their association. Results: There was a predominance of patients with elevated PWV. The subgroup of patients aged 60 years or older presented the largest proportion of PWV alterations over normal results. There was a majority of women in the study population and sex could not determine PWV status. There was a predominance of concomitant elevation of NC and PWV in the studied population. NC measurements could distinguish PWV status from women and the study population. NC and PWV had a positive and statistically significant correlation for women and for the general population. Conclusion: These findings suggest a possible association between upper body obesity and vascular homeostasis impairment. Therefore, screening patients with both measurements could prove relevant to better identify subclinical vascular perturbations and further delimitate prognosis related to cardiovascular events potentially associated with them. •Elevation of pulse wave velocity (PWV) was associated with the increase of age. •Frequency of patients with elevated PWV and neck circumference was predominant. •Neck circumference and pulse wave velocity were positively correlated.

Background: Arterial Hypertension (AH) is an uncertain and complex physiopathological disease with the Arterial Stiffness (AS) as one of the main cardiovascular alterations. Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV) is the gold standard marker for assessment of the vascular aging and an important predictor of cardiovascular risk. Methods: Cross-sectional population-based studies, in the restricted area of Vale do Ogunjá, Salvador-Bahia. Sociodemographic data, through questionnaire and clinical data were obtained. A PWV was evaluated by applanation tonometry using the device SphygmoCor® (AtCor Medical Pty Ltd, New South Wales, Australia). Frequency and descriptive measurements of central and dispersion were obtained, and the Chi-square test to statistical analysis. Results: PWV presented a higher mean in hypertensive patients (10.0 ± 2.2 m/s). There was a higher prevalence of AS in male individuals with advanced age and presence of risk factors. The prevalence ratio of AS was 3.7 times higher in hypertensive patients (p = 0.002; 95% CI: 1.6–8.5) and 7.5 times higher in patients aged above 40–74 years (p = 0.015; 95% CI: 2.4–23.1). Conclusion: There was an important relation between AS and increased of PWV in the presence of hypertension. The relevance of this study is associated with the use of non-invasive clinical evaluation of PWV, contributing to improve morbidity and mortality in hypertensive patients. HIGHLIGHTS •Important association between arterial stiffness and arterial hypertension. •Prevalence of arterial stiffness in the male gender, advanced age. •Prevalence of arterial stiffness with high BMI, dyslipidemia and dysglycemia DM. •Arterial stiffness associated to age, schooling level, BMI and arterial hypertension.