Endo Pat 2000

Endothelial Dysfunction is the result of the cumulative damage to the endothelium by cardiovascular disease risk factors such as genetics, smoking, Diabetes, high blood pressure and others. These risk factors cause the endothelium to malfunction: it secretes less of the protective molecules, such as Nitric-Oxide, and secretes substances which promote atherosclerotic plaque formation. Leading doctors at the Mayo Clinic proclaimed in a 2003 paper that “endothelial dysfunction may be regarded as the ‘ultimate risk of the (cardiovascular) risk factors.’” It was identified as the missing link between cardiovascular risk factors and subclinical atherosclerosis. Endothelial dysfunction is now widely recognized in the medical community as the earliest clinically-detectable indication of heart disease.  Unlike subclinical atherosclerosis , endothelial dysfunction, with proper treatment, is reversible.

How is endothelial dysfunction diagnosed?

Until recently, experts used various methods to assess endothelial function. These methods are categorized as either:

Invasive – which is painful and with a certain amount of risk; or

Noninvasive – which is user-dependent, meaning test results are prone to high variability between users, limiting its use to expert research sites.

To diagnose something as serious as endothelial dysfunction, a method is needed that can function with consistent accuracy, independently of the user. The Endo-Pat2000  provides this combination of noninvasive, ease-of-use, independent of the user, while providing reliability. It has been scientifically validated in close to a hundred publications from clinical studies in top research centers (e.g., Framingham Heart Study, Harvard, Mayo Clinic and hundreds of others) around the world and is the method used to assess endothelial function in leading centers.

In order to avoid confusion, please note that there are several noninvasive methodologies to assess cardiovascular disease risk. But all of them target subclinical atherosclerosis, which is when vascular health has already been compromised to a certain extent. This degeneration of the vasculature is irreversible. While endothelial dysfunction plays a key role throughout these phases of the atherosclerotic disease, it is not what these tests of cardiovascular risk measure.