Endothelial dysfunction is an important marker for prognosis in patients with coronary heart disease. However, there are no reference values for endothelial function in a healthy population. Our aim was to determine the distribution of flow-mediated dilation (FMD) values by gender and age in healthy adults.
FMD was measured by ultrasound during reactive hyperaemia in the brachial artery of 4739 adults aged 20-89 years, who were free from self-reported cardiovascular or pulmonary disease. Differences in FMD across age and gender were analysed by multiple linear regression.
Total mean ± SD FMD was 4.8 ± 4.2%, with corresponding estimates of 4.3 ± 3.9% for men and 5.3 ± 4.5% for women (p