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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2013 Feb 17.
Published in final edited form as: Circ Res. 2012 Feb 17;110(4):624–637. doi: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.111.243386

Figure 3.

Figure 3

EPC mirror the natural history of atherosclerosis. The level of EPC (set at maximal in patients with normal arterial anatomy and function) starts to decline when cardiovascular risk factors appear in high risk patients. Further, EPC progressively decline with initial vascular remodeling (IMT), plaque development and progression. Lower EPCs are markers of high risk for future cardiovascular events. Finally, when complications occur (such as AMI or stroke) EPCs should be increased by bone marrow mobilization. When this mechanism is perturbed, a worse outcome can be predicted.