Correia Marcelo L G, Haynes William G
General Clinical Research Center (157 MRF), 200 Hawkins Drive, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
Curr Diab Rep. 2007 Aug;7(4):269-75. doi: 10.1007/s11892-007-0043-1.
Decreased arterial compliance (increased stiffness) correlates with cardiovascular events, possibly due to increased cardiac afterload caused by more rapidly reflected pulse waves. Endothelium-derived mediators regulate vascular tone and structure, both of which can markedly influence arterial stiffness. Thus, increased arterial stiffness may be a mechanism by which endothelial dysfunction predisposes to complications of atherosclerosis. Conversely, therapeutic manipulation of endothelial mediators could reduce arterial stiffness and cardiovascular events. Techniques have been developed that use measures of arterial stiffness as an index of endothelial dilator function; these may provide unique prognostic information to identify high-risk subjects.
动脉顺应性降低（僵硬度增加）与心血管事件相关，这可能是由于更快反射的脉搏波导致心脏后负荷增加所致。内皮衍生介质调节血管张力和结构，二者均可显著影响动脉僵硬度。因此，动脉僵硬度增加可能是内皮功能障碍导致动脉粥样硬化并发症的一种机制。相反，对内皮介质进行治疗性调控可降低动脉僵硬度和心血管事件。已开发出利用动脉僵硬度测量值作为内皮舒张功能指标的技术；这些技术可能会提供独特的预后信息，以识别高危人群。
