Arterial distensibility in cardiovascular diseases

Several pathological conditions affecting the cardiovascular system are characterized by a dysfunction of the viscoelastic properties of the arterial vessels and, in particular, of arterial distensibility and compliance. These alterations have pathophysiological and clinical relevance because both distensibility and compliance play a key role in cardiovascular homeostatic control by modulating a number of important parameters, such as arterial impedence, cardiac afterload and myocardial oxygen consumption. This paper, after briefly mentioning the technical progress recently achieved in the assessment of arterial compliance in man, will examine the alterations in this vascular function which take place in hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes and congestive heart failure. It will also discuss the mechanisms potentially responsible for these alterations and the effects of cardiovascular drugs commonly employed in the treatment of these diseases.