Arterial Stiffness and Vascular Aging: A Brief Overview

Arterial stiffness is a hallmark of vascular aging and a major independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD), including hypertension, stroke, and heart failure.

Mechanisms of Arterial Stiffening As humans age, the arterial wall undergoes profound structural and functional changes. The highly elastic elastin fibers degrade and fragment, while stiffer collagen fibers accumulate. This process can be heavily accelerated by cardiovascular risk factors like diabetes, smoking, and obesity, leading to a phenomenon known as "early vascular aging" (EVA). A key molecular driver of this stiffening is the formation of Advanced Glycation End-products (AGEs). AGEs create irreversible, non-enzymatic cross-links between collagen fibers, causing the vascular wall to lose its elasticity ...