Arterial stiffness in the depression and cardiovascular comorbidity

Arterial stiffness is a process of vascular ageing, and it is a consequence of arteriosclerosis. In this chapter we describe how arterial stiffness is measured, and we evaluate the evidence on how arterial stiffness independently exacerbates both cardiovascular disease and depression and in turn how depression predicts arterial stiffness. The association between arterial stiffness and cardiovascular disease is well established, and so is the association between arterial stiffness and depression. Arterial stiffness may be one of several vascular processes that mediate the hypothesised bidirectional relationship between depression and cardiovascular disease. The importance of assessing arterial stiffness as a measure of cardiovascular disease, especially if it is comorbid with depression, is discussed.