PMID: 14501555

Issn Print: 0361-1817

Publication Date: 2003/09/01


Print

Endothelium Dysfunction in Primary Care

Jeri Lynn Baker; Cherry Guinn; Anne Chien; Chris Smith

    loading  Checking for direct PDF access through Ovid

Excerpt

An impaired endothelium is a precursor of cardiovascular disease that warrants the attention of the primary care provider (PCP). The clinical manifestations of cardiovascular disease are influenced by many interrelated pathophysiological processes, including endothelium dysfunction. 1
The endothelium’s function for the prevention of cardiovascular disease is a recent discovery. In the healthy individual, the endothelium presents a thromboresistant surface to blood and forms a macromolecular barrier between blood and the vessel wall under homeostatic conditions. Current research has found that the endothelium is the largest autocrine, paracrine, and endocrine organ in the human body. 2 The endothelium has many functions, including regulating vessel tone, platelet activation, monocyte adhesion, thrombogenesis, inflammation, lipid metabolism, and vessel growth and remodeling. 2–5 The endothelium synthesizes and secretes vasoactive substances in response to mechanical, neural, and humoral stimuli to maintain cardiovascular homeostasis.
    loading  Loading Related Articles