Association between perceived discrimination and pulse wave velocity: a scoping review

Racial discrimination is a chronic stressor that may contribute to cardiovascular disease (CVD) disparities in non-Hispanic Black (NHB) adults. NHB adults experience greater perceived discrimination (PD) and CVD risk compared with non-Hispanic White adults. Although the association between PD and some subclinical CVD markers has been examined, the relationship between PD and arterial stiffness has not been established, limiting our understanding of the impact of PD on CVD.

Objective:
The objective of this review was to summarise the literature on the relationship between PD and arterial stiffness.

Design:
Systematic scoping review.

Data sources:
PubMed, Embase, SPORTDiscus with full text and CINALH+ with full text databases were searched from inception to 10 July 2023.

Eligibility criteria:
Adults (≥18 years), arterial stiffness measured as pulse wave velocity (PWV), PD assessment, and randomised control trial or observational study designs.

Data extraction and synthesis:
Of 453 articles identified, four studies were included. Two studies were cross-sectional (United States, Brazil), one was longitudinal (United Kingdom), and another was a randomized control trial (United States).

Results:
The age of the study populations ranged from 18 years to 75 years and one study evaluated a clinical population. All studies used different PWV devices and PD assessments. Associations between PD and PWV varied by geographical region, sex, clinical status and study design.

Conclusion:
Research evaluating the association between PD and PWV is scarce and heterogeneous in PD and PWV assessments. There is an inconclusive association between PD and PWV.