Fig. 1: Schematic representation of the pathophysiologic changes observed in AS, highlighting the histological transitions observed within each layer of the arterial wall as AS progresses.

Changes observed in each layer can occur regardless of the underlying etiology of arterial stiffness. Created in BioRender. Bello Chavolla, O. (2025) https://BioRender.com/o88u142. ECM extracellular matrix RAAS renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system VSMC vascular smooth cells AS arterial stiffness.