Which condition is defined as hardening of the arteries due to loss of elasticity?

Which condition is defined as hardening of the arteries due to loss of elasticity?

• A. Dehydration causing improper blood flow
• B. Hardening of the arteries due to loss of elasticity
• C. Dilation of arteries
• D. Thickening of venous walls

Answer: (B)

Arterial elasticity is what lets arteries expand and recoil with each heartbeat. When the walls lose that elasticity and become stiff, the vessels harden—this is arteriosclerosis. It’s a descriptive term for the general stiffening of arterial walls, often increasing systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure and raising the workload on the heart. It’s helpful to contrast it with atherosclerosis, where plaque narrows the artery lumen; arteriosclerosis is about loss of pliability, while atherosclerosis focuses on obstruction from plaque (they can occur together, but the definition given is specifically about hardening and loss of elasticity). Dilation of arteries would imply enlargement or aneurysm formation, not hardening; thickening of venous walls involves veins, not arteries; and dehydration describes a functional flow issue rather than a structural change in arterial elasticity.

Arterial elasticity is what lets arteries expand and recoil with each heartbeat. When the walls lose that elasticity and become stiff, the vessels harden—this is arteriosclerosis. It’s a descriptive term for the general stiffening of arterial walls, often increasing systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure and raising the workload on the heart. It’s helpful to contrast it with atherosclerosis, where plaque narrows the artery lumen; arteriosclerosis is about loss of pliability, while atherosclerosis focuses on obstruction from plaque (they can occur together, but the definition given is specifically about hardening and loss of elasticity). Dilation of arteries would imply enlargement or aneurysm formation, not hardening; thickening of venous walls involves veins, not arteries; and dehydration describes a functional flow issue rather than a structural change in arterial elasticity.