BACKGROUND: Doxazosin and its role as an antihypertensive agent have come under recent scrutiny as a result of the early termination of that treatment arm in ALLHAT. It is unclear why the cardiovascular (CV) event rate in this randomized, controlled trial (RCT), especially heart failure, is higher in those treated with a doxazosin-based regimen than with a chlorthalidone based-regimen. There ha...

THE effectiveness of ehlorothiazide and related compounds as diuretics and antihypertensive agents has been well established. Much confusion still exists, however, regarding the exact mechanisms by which these ag,ents reduce arterial pressure. Although it has not been fully established whether the reduction in arterial pressure following the thiazides is due solely to sodium diuresis,1 is secon...

Recent epidemiological evidence suggests that some antihypertensive medications may reduce the risk for Alzheimer disease (AD). We screened 55 clinically prescribed antihypertensive medications for AD-modifying activity using primary cortico-hippocampal neuron cultures generated from the Tg2576 AD mouse model. These agents represent all drug classes used for hypertension pharmacotherapy. We ide...

The autonomic nervous system plays a major role in blood pressure regulation and pathogenesis of essential hypertension. Before the advent of orally active antihypertensive treatments, surgical sympathectomy was the only therapeutic option in severely hypertensive patients. It was effective in reducing blood pressure in half of these patients. However, this intervention was associated with high...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Resistant hypertension is defined as failure to achieve blood pressure lower than 140/90 mmHg when using three antihypertensive agents or controlled blood pressure with four or more drugs. We aimed at assessing the prevalence of resistant hypertension and to describe a type 2 diabetes population with resistant hypertension. METHODS The retrospective observational study inc...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Poor adherence to medications is one of the major public health challenges. Only one-third of the population reported successful control of blood pressure, mostly caused by poor drug adherence. However, there are relatively few reports studying the adherence levels and their associated factors among Chinese patients. This study aimed to study the adherence profiles and...

Stroke is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in an aging population. The current understanding of the pathophysiology of atherosclerotic diseases, the most common cause of stroke, and the evidence for existing therapeutic interventions for the prevention of stroke are presented. Specifically, we review the evidence for antiplatelet agents, anticoagulants, antihypertensive medications, lip...

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are rising in prevalence and associated with adverse maternal infant health outcomes. Current guidelines recommend labetalol, nifedipine, methyldopa as acceptable first-line agents to treat HDP outpatient settings. However, the current practice regarding antihypertensive medication usage selection remain unclear. A retrospective, observational cohort st...

A large percentage of patients with hypertension suffer from atrial fibrillation (AF). The concomitance of both conditions in the same patient markedly increases cardiovascular risk. Therefore, prevention of new-onset AF in hypertensive population should be a relevant target. High blood pressure promotes structural and electrophysiological changes in the heart that promote the develop- ment of ...

Combination therapy of hypertension with separate agents or a fixed-dose combination pill offers the potential to lower blood pressure more quickly, obtain target blood pressure, and decrease adverse effects. Antihypertensive agents from different classes may offset adverse reactions from each other, such as a diuretic decreasing edema occurring secondary to treatment with a calcium channel blo...