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Ventricular and vascular stiffening in aging and hypertension

L Faconti, R M Bruno, L Ghiadoni

  • 1Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Via Roma 67, 56125, Pisa, Italy. agostino.virdis@med.unipi.it.

Current Hypertension Reviews
|May 30, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Arterial stiffness, a key indicator of vascular aging and hypertension, predicts cardiovascular events. Understanding arterial and ventricular stiffness is crucial for assessing cardiovascular performance.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Physiology
  • Gerontology
  • Hypertension Research

Background:

  • Arterial stiffness is a hallmark of aging and hypertension, contributing to cardiovascular events.
  • It reflects early atherosclerotic changes and is linked to increased systolic blood pressure.
  • Vascular and cardiac stiffness interact, impacting overall cardiovascular performance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review methods for assessing arterial and ventricular stiffness.
  • To examine alterations in stiffness during aging and hypertension.
  • To explain ventricular-arterial coupling and its role in cardiovascular health.

Main Methods:

  • Review of established and emerging techniques for measuring arterial stiffness.
  • Analysis of indices used to quantify ventricular stiffness.
  • Discussion of physiological aging and hypertension models.

Main Results:

  • Numerous methods exist to evaluate vascular stiffness with prognostic value.
  • Arterial and ventricular stiffness are interconnected, influencing cardiovascular function.
  • Both aging and hypertension significantly alter arterial and ventricular stiffness.

Conclusions:

  • Arterial stiffness assessment is vital for early disease detection and risk stratification.
  • Understanding the interplay between arterial and ventricular stiffness is key to managing cardiovascular health in aging and hypertensive populations.
  • Ventricular-arterial coupling provides critical insights into cardiovascular performance limitations.

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