title: [Endothelial dysfunction as a primary disorder in vascular diseases].
abstract: Endothelium controls vascular smooth muscle tone by secreting relaxing and contracting factors. There is a constant release of endothelium derived relaxing factors, mainly nitric oxide, a potent vasodilator, inhibitor of platelet aggregation, monocyte adhesion and smooth muscle proliferation. In addition, the endothelium may increase the release of NO in response to humoral stimulation by vasoactive substances such as acetylcholine, bradykinin or substance P. Although the endothelium releases a number of products, no single blood test has yet proved useful to determine normal endothelial function or as early abnormalities. The most useful test of endothelial function relies on the measurement of endothelium-dependent dilatation in response to pharmacological or physiologic stimuli. The alteration of this response is known as endothelial dysfunction and has been observed in a variety of circumstances related to cardiovascular risk. This review summarizes the evidence that sustains this association and emphasizes the clinical utility of assessing endothelial function presenting two clinical cases of hypercholesterolemia in which a high-resolution vascular ultrasound in the brachial artery was used.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Nutrición, Diabetes y Metabolismo, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Irribarra
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Germain
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cuevas
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Faúndez
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Valdés
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000503:physiopathology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009126:Muscle Relaxation / Q000502:physiology; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000502:physiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000502:physiology