Abstract
Aim: Advanced age is associated with vascular endothelial dysfunction, characterized by reductions in the endothelium-dependent vasodilation of the conduit and resistance arteries, in part, from decreased nitric oxide bioavailability. Although vascular smooth muscle function (SMF), assessed by responsiveness to an exogenous nitric oxide donor, is typically reported to be intact, many of these studies are limited by a small sample size. Therefore, the purpose of this meta-analysis is to systematically review and determine whether vascular SMF is different between older versus young healthy individuals. Design: We conducted a systematic search of MEDLINE, Cochrane and Scopus, since their inceptions until January 2014, for articles evaluating SMF in the brachial artery and/or resistance arteries (BASMF and RASMF, respectively), as assessed by the endothelium-independent vasodilator response to exogenous nitric oxide donors in older (>= 60 years) and young (
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 445-453 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Journal of Hypertension |
| Volume | 33 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2015 |
Keywords
- advanced age
- conduit artery
- resistance arteries
- vascular smooth muscle function