Endothelial function: cardiac events.

Agrowing body of evidence suggests that endothelial dysfunction is associated with cardiovascular events. Endothelial dysfunction can be regarded as a syndrome that exhibits systemic manifestations associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The concept of endothelial dysfunction should be extended beyond the conduit vessels into the vascular wall and even to the bone marrow and the progenitor endothelial cells. The present review is focused on the potential underlying mechanism by which endothelial dysfunction may contribute to cardiovascular events. The assessment of endothelial function may emerge as an integral adjuvant test for evaluation of the vulnerable patients at risk for future cardiovascular events.