Figure 1.

Aortic strain (red) decreases sharply between the 3^rd and 5^th decade of life after which there is a sharp rise in aortic pulse wave velocity (blue) (A). Aortic strain and PWV plotted against each other showing an exponential increase in PWV with declining aortic strain with aging (B)

Adapted from Redheuil A, Yu WC, Wu CO, et al. Reduced ascending aortic strain and distensibility: earliest manifestations of vascular aging in humans. Hypertension 2010;55(2):319–26; with permission.