Background: Brachial ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) is feasible tool to measure arterial stiffness. But it reflects both aortic property and peripheral vessel stiffness. The usefulness to predict aortic stiffness is not fully established. Methods: Abdominal aortic segment which is in the midway between the heart and peripheral artery was chosen to be predicted by baPWV for the aortic stiffness parameters, i.e., strain, distensibility, stiffness index, and elastic modulus by sonography. 290 subjects comprising 177 patients and 113 population control subjects were examined. Results: Age of the study subjects was 58.2 짹 12.8 years and body mass index ( BMI ) was 24.3 짹 3.81 kg/cm2. 58.2 % was female. Partial correlation coefficients adjusted by age, gender, and systolic blood pressure were r = - 0.152( p < 0.05 for strain), r = - 0.143, (p < 0.05 for distensibility), r = 0.168( p < 0.01 for elastic modulus), and r = 0.179( p < 0.01 for stiffness index) versus baPWVs. In multiple regression analysis, both age and baPWV were consistently independent predictors for all aortic stiffness parameters. Systolic blood pressure was also independent factor for aortic distensibility and elastic modulus. Conclusion: Brachial ankle pulse wave velocity is useful to predict abdominal aortic strain which is consistently independent of age, gender, and BMI.