Device Therapies
Hypertension remains an almost ubiquitous entity as a chronic disease around the world today. Its relevance lies in the fact that it is one of the most common risk factors…
Use of Combination Therapies
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and hypertension is an important risk factor for cardiovascular (CV) disease. Affecting up to 30% of the population,…
Hypertension in Ischemic Heart Disease
Hypertension and ischemic heart disease (IHD) are strongly related and the two co-occur frequently, particularly in aging populations. Both conditions cause or contribute to substantial disability and mortality worldwide and…
Central Sympathetic Agents and Direct Vasodilators
Mechanism of Action Central sympatholytics (e.g., methyldopa, guanabenz, guanfacine, clonidine, moxonidine, and rilmenidine) have a variety of antihypertensive actions that result in increased sodium excretion and decreases in the cardiac…
Approach to Difficult to Manage Primary Hypertension
Primary, formerly essential, hypertension accounts for about 90% of cases of hypertension. Reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure in patients with primary hypertension reduces the risk for cardiovascular (CV)…
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…
