Endothelial dysfunction. An integrated overview of the physiopatologic and diagnostic aspects | Disfunzione endoteliale: Verso una visione integrata degli aspetti fisiopatologici e diagnostici

Endothelial dysfunction is an early alteration in the atherosclerotic process. Cardiovascular risk factors induce endothelial dysfunction, characterized by impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilatation and by new proatherogenic, proinflammatory and prothrombotic properties. It is evident as the study of the endothelium could play a key role in the cardiovascular research and can be an useful tool for risk stratification in primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. An ideal approach for the comprehensive evaluation on endothelial physiopathology would take into account and integrate informations about endothelial biology (activation, injury and regenerative capacity) and endothelial function, so to be correlated with clinical data.