Current Hypertension Reviews - Volume 5, Issue 1, 2009

Uric acid is an intermediate product formed from the metabolism of purine. The high serum uric acid level is termed as hyperuricemia. Gout, a metabolic disorder is associated with high uric acid level in the body. Hyperuricemia has been noted to upregulate the expression of inflammatory mediators and adhesion molecules. Hyperuricemia has been suggested to be an independent risk factor involved in the pathogenesis of Read More

The physiologic sequelae of Renal Artery Stenosis (RAS) results from narrowing of renal artery lumen which leads to diminished renal perfusion. The consequences of RAS range from asymptomatic to refractory hypertension to ischemic nephropathy eventually leading to end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

The regulation of blood pressure is dependent on multiple interacting mechanisms that influence body fluid volume, sodium balance, and vascular function. Impairments in kidney function can lead to activation of the reninangiotensin system and inappropriate sodium and fluid retention leading to hypertension. The heme-heme oxygenase system is a recently identified antihypertensive regulatory mechanism. Heme oxygenase ( Read More

An increase in arterial blood pressure (BP) is common following the onset of stroke. Although there is evidence suggesting that this acute elevation of BP is associated with a poor clinical outcome in both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke patients, optimal treatment strategies are currently unknown. The management of BP in the first 24 hours following stroke lends itself to two competing rationales in both stroke sub-types. I Read More

High blood pressure levels are associated with increases in circulating levels of inflammation markers which can reflect vascular inflammatory processes, suggesting that hypertension is a low-grade inflammatory process. The vascular inflammation associated with hypertension could be the link between high blood pressure levels and the atherosclerotic process, which is the principal origin of cardiovascular disease, the leadi Read More

Dendritic cells (DCs) are a key component of the immune system which are capable of sampling antigen and present them to immune effector cells. By modulating the degree and quality of response of these effector cells, DCs represent a decisive element at the earliest phases of any given immune reaction. Recently, the presence of a vascular associated DC system has been described within the vascular wall, more precisel Read More

Hypertension is estimated to affect 1 billion people worldwide, and is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. The management of high blood pressure focuses on lifestyle modifications (i.e. diet, exercise, smoking cessation) and drug therapies. Despite these strategies, many patients are still unable to maintain or control their blood pressure within desired levels. Recent research Read More

Hypertension is a well-recognized complication of excess glucocorticoids, both naturally-occurring and synthetic. Dexamethasone is a potent synthetic glucocorticoid, which has widespread clinical applications. As dexamethasone has purely glucocorticoid activity with negligible mineralocorticoid effects, dexamethasone-induced hypertension (DEXHT) models have been used for studying the mechanisms of gluco Read More