Aging is the primary risk factor underlying hypertension and incident cardiovascular disease.
With aging, the vasculature undergoes structural and functional changes characterized by
endothelial dysfunction, wall thickening, reduced distensibility, and arterial stiffening.
Vascular stiffness results from fibrosis and extracellular matrix (ECM) remodelling,
processes that are associated with aging and are amplified by hypertension. Some recently
characterized molecular mechanisms underlying these processes include increased …