Why does arterial stiffness contribute to end-organ damage in the brain and kidneys?
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: It raises pulsatile pressure in the microcirculation, harming microvessels
Stiffened arteries lose elastic buffering (Windkessel effect), causing increased pulse pressure transmitted into microcirculation — damaging small vessels in high-flow organs like brain and kidneys.
Keep practicing
More End-Organ Damage Mechanisms questions
- Which type of cell death is most characteristic of acute ischemia (e.g., infarction) and leads to organ necrosis when prolonged?
- In chronic organ injury, why does persistent inflammation often lead to fibrosis instead of tissue regeneration?
- Which mechanism contributes to kidney damage in hypertension before overt renal failure develops?
- In left ventricular hypertrophy due to chronic hypertension, which structural change impairs diastolic filling and contributes to heart fai…
- How does chronic hyperglycemia in diabetes accelerate atherosclerosis and macrovascular end-organ damage?
- Which pathophysiologic mechanism underlies organ damage in ischemia-reperfusion injury (e.g., after transient vessel occlusion and reperfus…