CME Topic Secondary Hypertension due to Drugs and Toxins

This review summarizes the current state of knowledge about drugs, other chemical substances, and toxins on blood pressure. Many classes of drugs, such as steroids, sympathomimetic amines, immunosuppressive agents, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents, antidepressants, erythropoietin, substances of abuse and other agents can induce transient or sustained hypertension, exacerbate well-controlled hypertension, antagonize the effects of antihypertensive therapy, or precipitate hypertensive emergencies. Heightened awareness on the part of the physician is important to avoid unnecessary tests in search for other etiologies, and to reduce antihypertensive medication prescriptions by eliminating contributing agents whenever possible. These agents represent an important modifiable cause of secondary or resistant hypertension.