Alternative Approaches for Lowering Blood Pressure
High blood pressure (BP) is the leading risk factor for global morbidity and mortality. Clinical trials in hypertension have largely focused on the efficacy of oral medications to lower BP…
Calcium Channel Blockers
Calcium channel blockers (CCB) have extensive therapeutic applications. Three CCB were listed in the forty most commonly used prescriptions and over-the-counter drugs in the Slone Survey of Recent Medication Use…
Renin Angiotensin Aldosterone System Blockers
The renin angiotensin aldosterone (RAA) system plays a central role in regulating cardiovascular and renal functions, and is a key component of the blood pressure homeostasis system in humans. Renal…
Peripheral Adrenergic Blockers
The Sympathetic Nervous System in Hypertension The notion that sympathetic fibers are found on the vascular wall and when stimulated cause vasoconstriction was proposed in 1840. The activity of these…
Diuretics in Hypertension
Diuretics are one of the most important classes of drugs used in hypertension. In simplistic terms, the basic premise for their use is that they reduce extracellular fluid volume and…
Secondary Hypertension: Sleep Disturbances Including Sleep Apnea
Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Hypertension Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and hypertension are common medical conditions which often coexist. Is there is a causal relationship between these two conditions? This question…
Isolated Systolic Hypertension
For many years, clinicians have used diastolic blood pressure as the main risk indicator in hypertensive patients. However, several developments have caused a paradigmatic shift in our thinking about hypertension…
The Natural History of Untreated Hypertension
Our knowledge about the natural history of untreated hypertension is mainly based on historical information from a relatively short duration of time (1900s to 1970s). During that period, there was…
Hypertension in Children: Diagnosis and Treatment
Over the past decade, there has been increasing interest in childhood hypertension and greater recognition that adult cardiovascular disease has its origins in childhood. Fueling this interest has been the…
Assessment of Target Organ Damage
Hypertension-induced cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality is caused by structural and functional alterations of the brain, heart, eyes, kidneys, and vasculature. Importantly, these hypertensive target organ damage (TOD) can be…
