Comparison between Carotid intima-media thickness and brachial endothelial dysfunction with brachial flow mediated dilatation in symptomatic non-infarcted women as non invasive techniques as predictors of CAD

Abstract

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death among critical chronic diseases. CAD is the narrowing of coronary arteries, the vessels that supply blood to the heart muscle, generally due to the buildup of plaques in the arterial walls, a process known as atherosclerosis. Advances in the understanding of the vascular biology of atherosclerosis have revolutionized the clinical approach to its management.It is now clear that vascular disease begins and progresses silently for many years until its late clinical manifestations, which include myocardial infarction and stroke, occur. Dynamic changes in vascular biology characterize both the early pre-clinical phase and established atherosclerosis, and the vascular endothelium plays a key role in this process. The latter is optimally situated to act as a signal transducer between the circulation and the vessel wall and produces a wide range of factors that regulate vessel tone, cell adhesiveness, vascular growth, and coagulation.