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Review
. 2020 Sep 16;33(2):115-121.
doi: 10.4103/tcmj.tcmj_44_20. eCollection 2021 Apr-Jun.

Arterial stiffness: A brief review

Jen-Pi Tsai  1   2 , Bang-Gee Hsu  1   3
Affiliations
Review

Arterial stiffness: A brief review

Jen-Pi Tsai et al. Tzu Chi Med J. .

Abstract

Apart from the result of multiple diseases as well as aging, arterial stiffness (AS) predicts cardiovascular disease (CVD), especially in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Patients with CKD have high CVD prevalence, and an extraordinarily high risk for CVD might be related to nontraditional risk factors, including AS. The mechanism of AS development could be attributed to oxidative stress, inflammation, uremic milieu (e.g., uremic toxins), vascular calcification, and cumulative effects of traditional cardiovascular risk factors on arteries such as diabetes mellitus or hypertension. There were a variety of non-invasive techniques to measure AS. One of these techniques is carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, which is the reference measurement of AS and is related to long-term CVD outcomes. AS progression has corresponding medical treatments with modest beneficial results. This review briefly discusses the risk factors, measurements, and treatments associated with AS.

Keywords: Arterial stiffness; Cardiovascular disease; Chronic kidney disease; Pulse wave velocity.

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Conflict of interest statement

Dr. Bang-Gee Hsu, the section editor at Tzu Chi Med J, had no role in the peer review process and the decision to publish this article. The other author declared that he has no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Simplified pathogenesis and outcomes of arterial stiffness (left). Models of measuring arterial stiffness (right). cfPWV: Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity; CKD-MBD: Chronic kidney disease related mineral bone disease, CVD: Cardiovascular disease, ESRD: End-stage renal disease, ΔD/Δt: Distance divided by transit time of propagation wave between (sternal notch [N] and femoral artery [F]) and (sternal notch [N] and carotid artery [C])
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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