Pathophysiologic therapeutic targets in hypertension: a cardiological point of view

Abstract

Introduction: Treatment of arterial hypertension can be a difficult exercise. Anti-hypertensive treatments need to be administered, keeping in mind the pathophysiological mechanisms and correlates at the base of arterial hypertension in the specific patient.

Areas covered: The common pathophysiological mechanisms at the base of hypertension and their undisputed mechanistic relationship with clinical events. Additionally, the mounting evidence showing that, from their changes, it may be possible to predict the clinical outcome of patients. Data was sourced from Medline and the Cochrane library. Which were searched from January 1986 to May 2011 to find relevant papers outlining the relation between hypertension, pathophysiology, medical treatment and side/adverse effects of anti-hypertensive drugs.

Expert opinion: It appears that the hypertensive patient in the cardiological context is often a subject with a ‘complex' health status (e.g., glucose intolerant/diabetic carrier of serum lipids disorder) and as such, he/she should be treated in a ‘holistic' pharmacological way. All the ancillary positive and negative effects of the administered drugs should not be dismissed. From a pathophysiological point of view, inhibitors of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system could be considered as the most appropriate drugs for the treatment of arterial hypertension and its correlates, especially in the high-risk patient.

Keywords:

• arterial hypertension
• pathophysiology
• renin–angiotensin–aldosterone
• sympathetic
• therapy

Notes

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