Vascular dysfunction: At the heart of cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment and depressive symptoms

Vascular dysfunction may be an important pathway through which ageing and other factors, such as diabetes and obesity, can cause diseases of the heart and brain. Vascular dysfunction includes dysfunction of large arteries (due to arterial stiffness), the microcirculation (microvascular dysfunction) and endothelium (endothelial dysfunction). We have investigated, in a series of epidemiological studies, the role of vascular dysfunction in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease, dementia and depression. Data were used of The Hoorn Study, The AGES-Reykjavik Study, The Maastricht Study and The SUVIMAX2 Study. In addition, we did two systematic reviews and an individual participant data meta-analysis.