Paraclinical diagnostics of endothelial function reflecting vascular stiffness: the present and prospects. Literature review

For many years, cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death in the world. The most significant risk factor for their development is hypertension. Endothelial dysfunction is one of the central links in the pathogenetic mechanisms of the formation and progression of vascular stiffness in hypertension. That is why the identification and assessment of endothelial function is of high practical importance for practitioner. The review aim is to analyze and summarize the available data on paraclinical diagnostics of endothelial dysfunction involved in the formation of vascular stiffness.