If an elderly patient experiences increased collagen cross-linking in their arterial walls due to advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), which consequence follows regarding their cardiovascular function?

💡 Explanation

Increased collagen cross-linking, a process known as glycation, stiffens arterial walls because it reduces the elasticity of the extracellular matrix; therefore, arterial stiffness increases, rather than elasticity, impacting cardiovascular function and increasing systolic blood pressure due to reduced compliance.

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