Skin microvascular endothelial function as a biomarker in cardiovascular diseases?

Skin microvascular endothelial function is impaired in many cardiovascular diseases, and could be therefore considered as a representative vascular bed. However, today, available evidence allows considering skin microvascular endothelial function neither as a diagnostic biomarker nor as a prognostic biomarker in cardiovascular diseases. Large follow-up studies using standardized methods should now be conducted to assess the potential predictive value of skin microvascular function in cardiovascular diseases. (C) 2015 Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier Sp. z o.o. All rights reserved.