What does a stepwise decline mean when speaking of vascular desease?

Progressively worse: Since the vascular system is everywhere in our body stepwise decline usually involves first the blood pressure(BP)-especially if it is persistently elevated and then going into the major organ systems like the heart, the brain, large vessels like the Carotid Arteries and the kidneys. All systems can be affected. The key is to have your BP, Cholesterol, stress levels under control, plus exercise