Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2023 Oct;25(10):1337-1349.
doi: 10.1007/s11886-023-01951-1. Epub 2023 Sep 7.

Arterial Stiffness and its Impact on Cardiovascular Health

Rachel Anne Xuereb  1 , Caroline J Magri  2   3 , Robert G Xuereb  2
Affiliations
Review

Arterial Stiffness and its Impact on Cardiovascular Health

Rachel Anne Xuereb et al. Curr Cardiol Rep. 2023 Oct.

Abstract

Purpose of review: Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality globally. Identifying patients at risk is important to initiate preventive strategies. Over the last few decades, the role of the endothelium and its impact on arterial stiffness have been recognised as playing a pivotal role in cardiovascular disease. This review will focus on the effect of arterial stiffness in different patient cohorts with regard to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, as well as its use in clinical practice.

Recent findings: Arterial stiffness is associated with a range of cardiovascular risk factors and is an independent predictor of cardiovascular mortality. The gold standard for evaluating arterial stiffness is pulse wave velocity. Recently, cardio-ankle vascular index has been implemented as an easy and highly reproducible measure of arterial stiffness. Moreover, certain pharmacologic agents may modify arterial stiffness and alter progression of cardiovascular disease. The endothelium plays an important role in cardiovascular disease. Implementing assessment of arterial stiffness in clinical practice will improve stratification of patients at risk of cardiovascular disease and help modify disease progression.

Keywords: Arterial stiffness; Cardio-ankle vascular index; Cardiovascular disease; Cardiovascular risk assessment; Hypertension; Pulse wave velocity.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance
    1. Liao J, Farmer J. Arterial stiffness as a risk factor for coronary artery disease. Current Atherosclerosis Reports. 2014;16(2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11883-013-0387-8 .
    1. Langille BL. Remodeling of developing and mature arteries: endothelium, smooth muscle, and matrix. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 1993;21(1):11–7. https://doi.org/10.1097/00005344-199321001-00003 . - DOI
    1. Gauthier-Bastien A, Ung R-V, Larivière R, Mac-Way F, Lebel M, Agharazii M. Vascular remodeling and media calcification increases arterial stiffness in chronic kidney disease. Clin Exp Hypertens. 2013;36(3):173–80. https://doi.org/10.3109/10641963.2013.804541 . - DOI - PubMed
    1. London GM, Cohn JN. Prognostic application of arterial stiffness: task forces. Am J Hypertens. 2002;15(8):754–8. 6. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0895-7061(02)02966-7 .
    1. de Souza F, Muxfeldt ES, Salles GF. Prognostic factors in resistant hypertension: implications for cardiovascular risk stratification and therapeutic management. Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther. 2012;10(6):735–45. https://doi.org/10.1586/erc.12.58 . - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources