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The microcirculation: a key player in obesity-associated cardiovascular disease
Sorop O, Olver TD, van de Wouw J, Heinonen I, van Duin RW, Duncker DJ, Merkus D.. Cardiovascular research, 2017-07-01
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
It is increasingly recognized that obesity is a risk factor for microvascular disease, involving both structural and functional changes in the microvasculature. This review aims to describe how obesity impacts the microvasculature of a variety of tissues, including visceral adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, heart, brain, kidneys, and lungs. These changes involve endothelial dysfunction, which in turn (i) impacts control of vascular tone, (ii) contributes to development of microvascular insulin resistance, (iii) alters secretion of paracrine factors like nitric oxide and endothelin, but (iv) also influences vascular structure and perivascular inflammation. In concert, these changes impair organ perfusion and organ function thereby contributing to altered release and clearance of neurohumoral factors, such as adipokines and inflammatory cytokines. Global microvascular dysfunction in obese subjects is therefore a common pathway that not only explains exercise-intolerance but also predisposes to development of chronic kidney disease, microvascular dementia, coronary microvascular angina, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and pulmonary hypertension.
Key findings
- It is increasingly recognized that obesity is a risk factor for microvascular disease, involving both structural and functional changes in the microvasculature.
- This review aims to describe how obesity impacts the microvasculature of a variety of tissues, including visceral adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, heart, brain, kidneys, and lungs.
- These changes involve endothelial dysfunction, which in turn (i) impacts control of vascular tone, (ii) contributes to development of microvascular insulin resistance, (iii) alters secretion of paracrine factors like nitric oxide and endothelin, but (iv) also influences vascular structure and perivascular inflammation.
- In concert, these changes impair organ perfusion and organ function thereby contributing to altered release and clearance of neurohumoral factors, such as adipokines and inflammatory cytokines.
- Global microvascular dysfunction in obese subjects is therefore a common pathway that not only explains exercise-intolerance but also predisposes to development of chronic kidney disease, microvascular dementia, coronary microvascular angina, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and pulmonary hypertension.
Why it matters
This review proposes that obesity-related microvascular dysfunction, involving endothelial dysfunction and impaired organ perfusion, is a common pathway that predisposes to conditions including microvascular dementia. It is a mechanistic review and does not test whether treating obesity or microvascular disease prevents dementia.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 45/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Cardiovascular research) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Cardiovascular Research: journal h-index 299 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 2 / 5 | 2017 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 178 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 16.2 citations a year over 11 year(s) since 2017 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 14.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 1 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 35 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Daphne Merkus: h-index 40 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Erasmus MC: institution h-index 1,321 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 6 institution(s) in 3 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 28482008) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 45 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1093/cvr/cvx093
- PubMed: 28482008
- Original source →
- Free full text: Cardiovascular Research →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 7 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Sorop, O., Olver, T. D., van de Wouw, J., Heinonen, I., van Duin, R. W., Duncker, D. J., et al. (2017). The microcirculation: a key player in obesity-associated cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular research. https://doi.org/10.1093/cvr/cvx093
Vancouver
Sorop O, Olver TD, van de Wouw J, Heinonen I, van Duin RW, Duncker DJ, et al. The microcirculation: a key player in obesity-associated cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular research. 2017. doi:10.1093/cvr/cvx093. PMID: 28482008.
BibTeX
@article{sorop2017-28482008,
author = {Sorop, O. and Olver, T. D. and van de Wouw, J. and Heinonen, I. and van Duin, R. W. and Duncker, D. J. and Merkus, D.},
title = {{The microcirculation: a key player in obesity-associated cardiovascular disease}},
journal = {Cardiovascular research},
year = {2017},
doi = {10.1093/cvr/cvx093},
pmid = {28482008},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/cvr/cvx093}
}
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