Description

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in developed countries. What is less appreciated, perhaps, is that the great majority of CVD is associated with alterations to the arterial system. The effect of aging on CVD is illustrated simply, but powerfully, by the observation that the risk of CVD increases progressively with age. Given the current and projected increases in the number of older adults in North America, we face the possibility of a 'new wave' of CVD in the near future and an associated increase in healthcare burden. Determining how arteries change with respect to age and increased risk of CVD, the mechanisms by which these alterations are mediated, integrated with strategies for the prevention and treatment of arterial aging are, therefore, among our highest biomedical priorities.