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Arterial stiffness in diabetes and hypertension

Journal of Human Hypertension volume 18, pages 467–468 (2004)Cite this article

The principal function of the arterial system is to deliver an adequate supply of blood to tissues and organs. In performing this primary conduit function, the arteries transform the pulsatile flow generated by ventricular contraction into a continuous flow of blood in the periphery. This latter cushioning function is dependent on the mechanical properties of the arterial walls.

Ventricular ejection generates an incident pressure wave. The speed of this pressure wave travelling away from the heart is termed the pulse wave velocity (PWV), and the aortic PWV is widely used as a parameter of arterial stiffness.1 PWV can be determined noninvasively from measurements of pulse transit time and the distance travelled by the pulse between the common carotid and the femoral arteries. Increased PWV (indicating increased arterial stiffness) has been associated with increasing age, arterial blood pressure,2 diabetes,3 smoking,4 and endstage renal disease.5 Emerging evidence has also suggested an association between increasing arterial stiffness (as measured by PWV) and cardiovascular mortality.6, 7

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  1. University Department of Medicine, City Hospital, Birmingham, B18 7QH, UK

    H S Lim & G Y H Lip

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  1. H S Lim
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  2. G Y H Lip
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Correspondence to G Y H Lip.

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Lim, H., Lip, G. Arterial stiffness in diabetes and hypertension. J Hum Hypertens 18, 467–468 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jhh.1001693

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