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Review
. 2018 Dec 1:24:17.
doi: 10.1186/s40885-018-0102-8. eCollection 2018.

Arterial stiffness and hypertension

Young S Oh  1
Affiliations
Review

Arterial stiffness and hypertension

Young S Oh. Clin Hypertens. .

Abstract

Measures of the functional and structural properties of blood vessels can be used to assess preclinical stage of vascular disorders. Recent experimental and population studies show that arterial stiffening precedes development of high blood pressure, and can be used to predict future cardiovascular events. Arterial stiffness was also shown to be reversible in several experimental models of various conditions. Since reversing arterial stiffness could prevent development of hypertension and other clinical conditions, understanding the biological mechanisms of arterial stiffening and investigating potential therapeutic interventions to modulate arterial stiffness are important research topics. For research and application in general clinical settings, it is an important step to develop reliable devices and a standardized arterial stiffness measurement protocol.

Keywords: Aortic stiffness; Arterial; Cardiovascular disease; Hypertension; Vascular biology.

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Conflict of interest statement

Not applicable.Not applicable. No individual data in any form is disclosed.The author declares that he has no competing interests.Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
A simplified model of arterial stiffening and its reversibility. With aging, blood vessel structural changes and endothelial dysfunction can occur. Various factors contribute to arterial stiffening, such as changes in the composition of elastin and collagen fibers, calcification, and inflammation in the arterial wall. It seems there is a critical time zone during the process of arterial stiffening when a PM (Positive Modifier: such as exercise, healthy diet, weight loss, or anti-hypertensive drug) cannot reverse vascular stiffness. Future research is needed to characterize this critical zone
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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