Atherosclerosis, Oxidative Stress, and Endothelial Function

Abstract

Atherosclerosis and its associated vascular complications remain a major source of morbidity and mortality in western civilizations. In the United States alone, 5.8 million patients are discharged from the hospital annually with a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and in 1995 CVD claimed over 960,000 lives (1). This represents approximately 41% of all deaths in the United States and places cardiovascular disease as the number one cause of death in the United States, causing more deaths, in fact, than all types of cancer combined (1). In terms of economic costs, cardiovascular disease consumes approximately 20 billion dollars annually in direct health care costs and over 250 billion dollars annually if one includes lost productivity (1). Data from the World Health Organization indicate that continued global economic prosperity is likely to lead to an epidemic of CVD as developing countries acquire Western habits such as increased consumption of meat and tobacco (1). Thus, atherosclerosis is a major public health problem that consumes an enormous amount of resources.