title: [Is endothelial dysfunction of practical relevance?].
abstract: Endothelial dysfunction is a "systemic disease" and a predictor of preclinical atherosclerosis. A relatively simple-to-perform and reliable diagnostic method of evaluating endothelial function is the measurement of the forearm blood flow (FBF). Unremarkable vasoreactivity of the brachial artery on performing FBF measurement is a prognostically favorable sign. This applies equally to patients with cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia or diabetes mellitus, and to patients with angina pectoris. A number of investigations suggest that cardiovascular endpoints can be significantly diminished by reducing the risk factors.
authors.affiliation: C.Burkhard-Meier@kardiopraxis-viersen.de
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Burkhard-Meier
authors.forename: T I
authors.initials: TI
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Baer
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000503:physiopathology; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D005996:Nitroglycerin; D012307:Risk Factors; D014661:Vasoconstriction / Q000502:physiology; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D005996:Nitroglycerin; D000109:Acetylcholine