Myocardial infarction and stroke are two of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide.1 Despite significant advances in the prevention and treatment of these cardiovascular diseases, identifying individuals at risk of developing them remains a critical challenge.2 In this context, research into new risk factors has become an active area of scientific investigation and immense interest.3

The pivotal role of a family history of cardiovascular events in predisposing individuals to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases has been widely acknowledged.4 Epidemiological studies have shown that individuals with a first-degree relative who have suffered a myocardial infarction or stroke have a higher risk of adverse cardiovascular events than those without a family history of cardiovascular events.5,6

Recently, noninvasive measures of arterial stiffness, such as pulse wave velocity (PWv), have received increasing attention as promising indicators of cardiovascular risk.7 Aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWv), which reflects the speed at which pressure waves travel along the arteries, serves as a sensitive marker of arterial stiffness.8 Arterial stiffness has been shown to be closely related to endothelial function, blood pressure and mechanical load on the heart and may therefore be a useful predictor of future cardiovascular events.9,10

To address this question, we conducted a cross-sectional study in a sample of apparently healthy subjects to analyse the association between family history of myocardial infarction and stroke and vascular and blood pressure parameters. Our findings may shed new light on the importance of a family history of cardiovascular events as a risk factor and the utility of noninvasive measures of arterial stiffness as a potential tool for cardiovascular risk stratification.