AGE, ARTERIAL STIFFNESS AND CARDIOVASCULAR RISK

The recent researches on the structure and function of large artery find that increasing pulse pressure is associated with greater cardiovascular risk, especially risk of coronary events. Such risk is not explicable on the basis of increasing systolic pressure with age, and is apparent even when the major reason for increased pulse pressure is a relative decrease of diastolic pressure. The finding challenges the conventional approach to arterial pressure where diastolic pressure is traditionally viewed as the most robust indicator of caridovascular risk. An explanation is available. This is based on the perception of Harriet Dustan that hypertension in the older popula-