Objectives Cardiovascular riskfactors lead to pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and itsclinical events by impairing vascular wall. Endothelialdysfunction is the earliest marker for vascular wallinjuries. Development of new method to detect earlyvascular wall damage has an important clinicalimplication for the prevention and treatment ofcardiovascular diseases. Therefore, the present studywas performed to evaluate effect of aging andhypertension, two independent risk factors forcardiovascular diseases, on arterial elasticity by usingpulse waveform analysis and investigate whether thechanges in arterial elasticity can be used as a riskmarker for vascular structural and functionalabnormalities. Methods Using modified Windkesselmodel of the circulation and pulse waveform analysis,Cl large artery and C2 small artery elasticity indices of204 Chinese normal healthy subjects ( age 15 -80years) and 46 Chinese essential hypertensive patients(age 35 -70 years) were measured. Age- andhypertension-related arterial elasticity changes wereexamined. Results Cl large artery and C2 small arteryelasticity indices were reduced with advancing age inhealthy subjects. Cl large artery and C2 small arteryelasticity indices were negatively correlated with age(r=-0.628, P<0.001; r=-0.595, P<0.001). Cl largeartery and C2 small artery elasticity indices in patientswith essential hypertension compared with the age-matched healthy subjects were (9.31±3.85 ml/mm Hg× 10 versus 15.13±4.14 ml/mmHg × 10, P<0.001) and(3.57 ± 1.62 ml/mm Hg × 100 versus 7.89 ±2.91 ml/mmHg ×100 P<0.001), respectively, and weresignificantly lower than the corresponding healthysubjects. There were negative association between Cllarge artery and C2 small artery elasticity indices andsystolic blood pressure (r=-0.37, P<0.05; r=-0.39,P<0.05) and pulse pressure (r=-0.39, P<0.05; r=-0.43, P<0.05 ) in patients with essential hypertension.Conclusions Advancing age and essential hypertensionlead to impaired artery elasticity and abnormalities inarterial elasticity are related with endothelialdysfunction. Reduced arterial elasticity may represent amarker for the risk of vascular wall damages. Arterialelasticity assessment offers a means of risk stratificationfor the clinical evaluation of vascular structural andfunctional injuries. Objectives Cardiovascular riskfactors lead to pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and its clinical events by impairing vascular wall. Endothelialdysfunction is the earliest marker for vascular wall invasion. Development of new method to detect earlyvascular wall damage has an important clinicalimplication for the prevention and treatment ofcardiovascular diseases. Therefore, the present studywas performed to evaluate effect of aging and hypertensive, two independent risk factors forcardiovascular diseases, on arterial elasticity by usingpulse waveform analysis and investigation whether thechanges in arterial elasticity can used as a riskmarker for vascular structural and functionalabnormalities. Methods Using modified Windkesselmodel of the circulation and Age- andhypertension-re (age 35 -80years) and 46 Chinese essential hypertensive patients (age 35 -70 years) were measured. Results of the large artery and C2 small arteryelastic indices were reduced with advancing age in patients. Cl large artery and C2 small arteryelastic indices were negatively correlated with age (r = -0.628, P <0.001; r = -0.595 , P <0.001). Cl largeartery and C2 small artery elasticity indices in patients with essential hypertension compared with the age-matched healthy subjects were (9.31 ± 3.85 ml / mm Hg × 10 versus 15.13 ± 4.14 ml / mmHg × 10, P <0.001 ) and (3.57 ± 1.62 ml / mm Hg × 100 versus 7.89 ± 2.91 ml / mmHg × 100 P <0.001), respectively, and we statistically lower than the corresponding health subjects. There were negative associations between Cllarge artery and C2 small artery elasticity indices and systolic blood pressure (r = -0.37, P0.05; r = -0.39, P <0.05) and pulse pressure (r = -0.39, P0.05; r = -0.43, Advancing age and essential hypertensionlead to impaired artery elasticity and abnormalities inarterial elasticity are related with endothelialdysfunction. Reduced arterial elasticity may represent a marker for the risk of vascular wall damages. Arterialelasticity assessment offers a means of risk stratificationfor the clinical evaluation of vascular structural and functional injuries.