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[Arterial hypertension and diabetes mellitus: role of endothelial dysfunction]
1Ospedale Civile di Sondrio, Divisione di Medicina Generale, Italia.
Object:
The study reports on the functions among the endothelium, hypertension and diabetes.
Aim:
Recent studies demonstrate that the endothelium is no more considered as a passive structure simply placed to protect the vessel wall.
Results:
Recently it has been demonstrated that endothelium has some functions as a real organ and it is able to carry out a great number of complex functions by means of production of vasomotor substances with vasoconstrictor (endothelins--prostanoids--superoxide anion) or vasodilator (prostacyclins--kinines--NO) or inflammatory effects and haemostatic--thrombotic factors.
Conclusions:
The endothelium plays a major role in the pathogenesis of hypertension and it is possible to discover distinctive peculiarities if this pathology is associated with type 1 or 2 diabetes.