About Endothelial Function
Endothelial function is a vital component of vascular function that enables adjustments of blood flow and alterations of vessel tone and diameter, when needed. Healthier arteries have higher dilative capacity and are more reactive when more blood is needed. Multiple factors, including known cardiovascular risk factors (high blood, high cholesterol, diabetes, smoking,) as well as genetic, environmental, and other detrimental factors that are unknown, collectively reduce the reactivity and dilative capacity of arteries.
What is the endothelium?
The endothelium is the inner lining of blood vessels, allowing blood to flow smoothly within them and actively maintaining physiological condition. Normal endothelial function protects blood vessels from formation of atherosclerosis, a cause of cardiovascular disease.
What is endothelial dysfunction?
The pathological state known as endothelial dysfunction is the earliest clinically detectable stage of cardiovascular disease (which includes heart attacks, stroke, peripheral arterial disease and many other diseases).
What will happen if it turns out that I have endothelial dysfunction?
Your doctor will evaluate the overall state of your health and discuss with you the most appropriate treatment options to improve your endothelial function. These will usually include lifestyle modification measures (e.g. diet, food supplements, exercise), strict control of risk factors (e.g. quitting smoking), and/or drug treatment. In some cases you will need to undergo more frequent monitoring and/or further testing of the cardiovascular system. Remember – prevention is the best treatment!
Why Get Tested
Because prevention is the best treatment! Cardiovascular disease develops over many years. Initially it is a silent process, also called a subclinical disease. VENDYS testing provides your doctor with a quick and easy way of determining your vascular dilative capacity whether you are heading down a road towards future heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases.
Endothelial dysfunction is considered to be the earliest clinically detectable stage of subclinical cardiovascular disease. Unlike atherosclerosis, endothelial dysfunction is reversible (with proper treatment).
What is VENDYS?
In simple terms, VENDYS® measures your body’s ability to regulate blood flow throughout your cardiovascular system. The VENDYS test is a simple, non-invasive, office-based procedure. The entire test takes just 15 minutes.
The small temperature sensors are placed on both index fingers, to monitor the function of your arteries. A blood pressure cuff is placed on the left arm to check blood pressure. Another cuff is placed on the right arm and will be inflated during the test, for 5 minutes, to stop the blood flow to the arm. This is the standard procedure for non-invasively testing the vascular reactivity which is a key function of the endothelium. The results of your test are immediately available in a colorful and easy to understand VENDYS report.
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How VENDYS Helps Your Doctor
VENDYS endothelial function testing helps physicians by providing useful information about their patients’ current vascular function. This info is typically used, along with other health information, by a doctor for a comprehensive evaluation of cardiovascular health. Physicians who routinely see patients with cardiovascular disease or multiple risk factors could benefit from incorporating VENDYS testing in their medical practice.
Most commonly, this includes physicians in the following areas of specialization:
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Cardiology
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Internal Medicine
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Primary Care
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Wellness and Prevention
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Anti-Aging