Clinical & Experimental Cardiology
Open Access

Abstract

Progenitor Endothelial Cell Dysfunction in Obese Patients: Possibilities for Cardiovascular Risk Prediction

Alexander E Berezin

Obesity is recognized a leading factor contributing in diabetes and cardiovascular (CV) disease development worldwide. Among obese individuals at least two phenotypes are determined, i.e. metabolically healthy obese and metabolically non-healthy obese. Subjects with one or other phenotype appear to be distinguished in CV risk and diabetes. Although lack of strong definition of metabolically healthy obese as a transient age- and ethnic-related phenotype accompanied to some behavioral and environmental factors, the role of co-existing metabolic abnormalities in translation of metabolically healthy obese to metabolically non-healthy obese is under debates. Outgrowth endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) have protective abilities to vasculature and they are posed as a central key of endogenous repair system. In this context, weak functionality and reduced number of circulating EPCs determined as EPC dysfunction might link phenotypes of obese and CV risk. The editorial is considered a role of EPC dysfunction as a predictive biomarker in CV diseases and events in patients with different phenotypes of obese.