Q J Med 2002; 95: 107-112
© 2002 Association of Physicians
Commentary |
Pulse pressure and arterial elasticity
From the Department of Histopathology and Morbid Anatomy, Barts and The London Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, Royal London Hospital, London, UK
 |
Introduction |
|---|
The last decade has seen increased interest in the mechanical interaction between the heart and the arterial system. In particular, it has been suggested that increased arterial stiffness is associated with the development of cardiovascular disease and may even predict its development at an early stage before vascular lesions or external symptoms become evident (reviewed in references 1 and 2). The reasons for this association are not fully understood, although we have known for almost 200 years that pulse pressure is affected by the distensibility of the arterial system, its dimensions and the presence of wave reflections.3 Accordingly, renewed attention has been directed at methods of measuring arterial elasticity, either directly or by way of ‘surrogates’.
The review in this issue by Mackenzie and colleagues discusses the clinical value of such measurements. They reiterate the argument outlined by O'Rourke:4 that after the introduction of the sphygmomanometer, the shape of
|
Notes |
|---|
|
References |
|---|
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  S. M. Farasat, C. H. Morrell, A. Scuteri, C.-T. Ting, F. C.P. Yin, H. A. Spurgeon, C.-H. Chen, E. G. Lakatta, and S. S. Najjar Pulse Pressure Is Inversely Related to Aortic Root Diameter Implications for the Pathogenesis of Systolic Hypertension Hypertension, February 1, 2008; 51(2): 196 - 202. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|