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Drug Design, Development and Therapy 2019Minoxidil was first introduced as an antihypertensive medication and the discovery of its common adverse event, hypertrichosis, led to the development of a topical... (Review)
Review
Minoxidil was first introduced as an antihypertensive medication and the discovery of its common adverse event, hypertrichosis, led to the development of a topical formulation for promoting hair growth. To date, topical minoxidil is the mainstay treatment for androgenetic alopecia and is used as an off-label treatment for other hair loss conditions. Despite its widespread application, the exact mechanism of action of minoxidil is still not fully understood. In this article, we aim to review and update current information on the pharmacology, mechanism of action, clinical efficacy, and adverse events of topical minoxidil.
Topics: Animals; Antihypertensive Agents; Hair; Humans; Hypertrichosis; Minoxidil; Molecular Structure; Sulfotransferases
PubMed: 31496654
DOI: 10.2147/DDDT.S214907 -
American Family Physician Mar 2020More than 70% of adults treated for primary hypertension will eventually require at least two antihypertensive agents, either initially as combination therapy or as... (Review)
Review
More than 70% of adults treated for primary hypertension will eventually require at least two antihypertensive agents, either initially as combination therapy or as add-on therapy if monotherapy and lifestyle modifications do not achieve adequate blood pressure control. Four main classes of medications are used in combination therapy for the treatment of hypertension: thiazide diuretics, calcium channel blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs), and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). ACEIs and ARBs should not be used simultaneously. In black patients, at least one agent should be a thiazide diuretic or a calcium channel blocker. Patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction should be treated initially with a beta blocker and an ACEI or ARB (or an angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor), followed by add-on therapy with a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist and a diuretic based on volume status. Treatment for patients with chronic kidney disease and proteinuria should include an ACEI or ARB plus a thiazide diuretic or a calcium channel blocker. Patients with diabetes mellitus should be treated similarly to those without diabetes unless proteinuria is present, in which case combination therapy should include an ACEI or ARB.
Topics: Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Antihypertensive Agents; Blood Pressure; Calcium Channel Blockers; Drug Therapy, Combination; Humans; Hypertension
PubMed: 32163253
DOI: No ID Found -
Current Hypertension Reports Jul 2022To update on definition, diagnosis, prevalence, patient characteristics, pathophysiology, and treatment of refractory hypertension (RfHTN). (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
To update on definition, diagnosis, prevalence, patient characteristics, pathophysiology, and treatment of refractory hypertension (RfHTN).
RECENT FINDINGS
Refractory hypertension (RfHTN) is defined as blood pressure (BP) that is uncontrolled despite using ≥ 5 antihypertensive medications of different classes, including a long-acting thiazide diuretic and a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (MRA) at maximal or maximally tolerated doses. This new phenotype is different from resistant hypertension (RHTN), defined as BP that is uncontrolled despite using ≥ 3 medications, commonly a long-acting calcium channel blocker (CCB), a blocker of the renin-angiotensin system (angiotensin-converting enzyme [ACE] inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker [ARB]), and a diuretic. The RHTN phenotype includes controlled RHTN, BP that is controlled on 4 or more medications. RfHTN is largely attributable to increased sympathetic activity, unlike RHTN, which is mainly due to increased intravascular fluid volume frequently caused by hyperaldosteronism and chronic excessive sodium ingestion. Compared to those with controlled RHTN, patients with RfHTN have a higher prevalence of target organ damage and do not have elevated aldosterone levels. Ongoing clinical trials are assessing the safety and efficacy of using devices to aid with BP control in patients with RfHTN. RfHTN is a separate entity from RHTN and is generally attributable to increased sympathetic activity.
Topics: Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Antihypertensive Agents; Blood Pressure; Humans; Hypertension
PubMed: 35384577
DOI: 10.1007/s11906-022-01185-6 -
Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta.... Mar 2021Hypertension is one of the most prevalent cardiovascular diseases worldwide. However, in the population of resistant hypertension, blood pressure is difficult to control... (Review)
Review
Hypertension is one of the most prevalent cardiovascular diseases worldwide. However, in the population of resistant hypertension, blood pressure is difficult to control effectively. Moreover, antihypertensive drugs may have adverse effect currently. Hence, new therapeutic targets and treatments are needed to uncovered and exploited to control hypertension and its comorbidities. In the past, classical drug targets, such as the aldosterone receptor, aldosterone synthase, and ACE2/angiotensin 1-7/Mas receptor axis, have been investigated. Recently, vaccines and drugs targeting the gastrointestinal microbiome, which represent drug classes, have also been investigated for the management of blood pressure. In this review, we summarized current knowledge on classical and new drug targets and discussed the potential utility of new drugs in the treatment of hypertension.
Topics: Animals; Antihypertensive Agents; Drug Development; Drug Discovery; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Humans; Hypertension; Molecular Targeted Therapy; Renin-Angiotensin System; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 33309796
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2020.166037 -
Nephrology, Dialysis, Transplantation :... Nov 2023Hypertension is very common and remains often poorly controlled in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Accurate blood pressure (BP) measurement is the essential... (Review)
Review
Hypertension is very common and remains often poorly controlled in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Accurate blood pressure (BP) measurement is the essential first step in the diagnosis and management of hypertension. Dietary sodium restriction is often overlooked, but can improve BP control, especially among patients treated with an agent to block the renin-angiotensin system. In the presence of very high albuminuria, international guidelines consistently and strongly recommend the use of an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or an angiotensin receptor blocker as the antihypertensive agent of first choice. Long-acting dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers and diuretics are reasonable second- and third-line therapeutic options. For patients with treatment-resistant hypertension, guidelines recommend the addition of spironolactone to the baseline antihypertensive regimen. However, the associated risk of hyperkalemia restricts the broad utilization of spironolactone in patients with moderate-to-advanced CKD. Evidence from the CLICK (Chlorthalidone in Chronic Kidney Disease) trial indicates that the thiazide-like diuretic chlorthalidone is effective and serves as an alternative therapeutic opportunity for patients with stage 4 CKD and uncontrolled hypertension, including those with treatment-resistant hypertension. Chlorthalidone can also mitigate the risk of hyperkalemia to enable the concomitant use of spironolactone, but this combination requires careful monitoring of BP and kidney function for the prevention of adverse events. Emerging agents, such as the non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist ocedurenone, dual endothelin receptor antagonist aprocitentan and the aldosterone synthase inhibitor baxdrostat offer novel targets and strategies to control BP better. Larger and longer term clinical trials are needed to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of these novel therapies in the future. In this article, we review the current standards of treatment and discuss novel developments in pathophysiology, diagnosis, outcome prediction and management of hypertension in patients with CKD.
Topics: Humans; Spironolactone; Hyperkalemia; Chlorthalidone; Hypertension; Antihypertensive Agents; Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic; Blood Pressure
PubMed: 37355779
DOI: 10.1093/ndt/gfad118 -
Kardiologia Polska Aug 2020Dietary modification is one of the cornerstones in the treatment of arterial hypertension (AH). Current American and European guidelines recommend people to ingest... (Review)
Review
Dietary modification is one of the cornerstones in the treatment of arterial hypertension (AH). Current American and European guidelines recommend people to ingest fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and low‑fat dairy products as well as to decrease the consumption of red meat, sugar, and trans fats. This review aimed to summarize available evidence on dietary patterns associated with lower blood pressure (BP). Research has shown that the Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet can lower BP equally effectively or even more significantly than some antihypertensive drugs. The Mediterranean diet also leads to a considerable reduction in BP. Vegans and vegetarians have been shown to have a lower prevalence of AH than omnivores. Caloric restriction may decrease BP in normotensive, prehypertensive, and hypertensive populations. Blood pressure can also be lowered by certain nutraceuticals (such as beetroot juice, magnesium, vitamin C, catechin‑rich beverages, or soy isoflavones). Diet effects on BP are mediated by body weight loss, amelioration of inflammation, increased insulin sensitivity, and antihypertensive properties of some individual nutrients. There is robust evidence that vegetarian and vegan diets have the ability to reduce BP. The presence of the so-called floor effect makes these diets usable in normo- and prehypertensive people at high risk of developing AH. However, the dietary and nutraceutical approach to BP lowering cannot substitute drug treatment when the latter is needed.
Topics: Antihypertensive Agents; Blood Pressure; Diet; Dietary Supplements; Humans; Hypertension
PubMed: 32631027
DOI: 10.33963/KP.15468 -
Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979) Jan 2022Hypertension is a major cause of cardiovascular disease and deaths worldwide especially in low- and middle-income countries. Despite the availability of safe,...
Hypertension is a major cause of cardiovascular disease and deaths worldwide especially in low- and middle-income countries. Despite the availability of safe, well-tolerated, and cost-effective blood pressure (BP)-lowering therapies, <14% of adults with hypertension have BP controlled to a systolic/diastolic BP <140/90 mm Hg. We report new hypertension treatment guidelines, developed in accordance with the World Health Organization Handbook for Guideline Development. Overviews of reviews of the evidence were conducted and summary tables were developed according to the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations approach. In these guidelines, the World Health Organization provides the most current and relevant evidence-based guidance for the pharmacological treatment of nonpregnant adults with hypertension. The recommendations pertain to adults with an accurate diagnosis of hypertension who have already received lifestyle modification counseling. The guidelines recommend BP threshold to initiate pharmacological therapy, BP treatment targets, intervals for follow-up visits, and best use of health care workers in the management of hypertension. The guidelines provide guidance for choice of monotherapy or dual therapy, treatment with single pill combination medications, and use of treatment algorithms for hypertension management. Strength of the recommendations was guided by the quality of the underlying evidence; the tradeoffs between desirable and undesirable effects; patient's values, resource considerations and cost-effectiveness; health equity; acceptability, and feasibility consideration of different treatment options. The goal of the guideline is to facilitate standard approaches to pharmacological treatment and management of hypertension which, if widely implemented, will increase the hypertension control rate world-wide.
Topics: Antihypertensive Agents; Blood Pressure; Humans; Hypertension; World Health Organization
PubMed: 34775787
DOI: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.121.18192 -
Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979) Jan 2022The widespread treatment of hypertension and resultant improvement in blood pressure have been major contributors to the dramatic age-specific decline in heart disease...
The widespread treatment of hypertension and resultant improvement in blood pressure have been major contributors to the dramatic age-specific decline in heart disease and stroke. Despite this progress, a persistent gap remains between stated public health targets and achieved blood pressure control rates. Many factors may be important contributors to the gap between population hypertension control goals and currently observed control levels. Among them is the extent to which patients adhere to prescribed treatment. The goal of this scientific statement is to summarize the current state of knowledge of the contribution of medication nonadherence to the national prevalence of poor blood pressure control, methods for measuring medication adherence and their associated challenges, risk factors for antihypertensive medication nonadherence, and strategies for improving adherence to antihypertensive medications at both the individual and health system levels.
Topics: American Heart Association; Antihypertensive Agents; Blood Pressure; Humans; Hypertension; Medication Adherence; United States
PubMed: 34615363
DOI: 10.1161/HYP.0000000000000203 -
Nutrients Jul 2019Nitric oxide (NO) is a well-known vasodilator produced by the vascular endothelium via the enzyme endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS). The inadequate production of... (Review)
Review
Nitric oxide (NO) is a well-known vasodilator produced by the vascular endothelium via the enzyme endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS). The inadequate production of NO has been linked to elevated blood pressure (BP) in both human and animal studies, and might be due to substrate inaccessibility. This review aimed to investigate whether oral administration of the amino acids l-arginine (Arg) and l-citrulline (Cit), which are potential substrates for eNOS, could effectively reduce BP by increasing NO production. Both Arg and Cit are effective at increasing plasma Arg. Cit is approximately twice as potent, which is most likely due to a lower first-pass metabolism. The current data suggest that oral Arg supplementation can lower BP by 5.39/2.66 mmHg, which is an effect that is comparable with diet changes and exercise implementation. The antihypertensive properties of Cit are more questionable, but are likely in the range of 4.1/2.08 to 7.54/3.77 mmHg. The exact mechanism by which Cit and Arg exert their effect is not fully understood, as normal plasma Arg concentration greatly exceeds the Michaelis constant (K) of eNOS. Thus, elevated plasma Arg concentrations would not be expected to increase endogenous NO production significantly, but have nonetheless been observed in other studies. This phenomenon is known as the "l-arginine paradox".
Topics: Administration, Oral; Antihypertensive Agents; Arginine; Blood Pressure; Citrulline; Humans; Hypertension
PubMed: 31336573
DOI: 10.3390/nu11071679 -
Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979) Sep 2023Clinical practice guidelines are ideally suited to the provision of advice on the prevention, diagnosis, evaluation, and management of high blood pressure (BP). The...
Clinical practice guidelines are ideally suited to the provision of advice on the prevention, diagnosis, evaluation, and management of high blood pressure (BP). The recently published European Society of Hypertension (ESH) 2023 ESH Guidelines for the management of arterial hypertension is the latest in a long series of high BP clinical practice guidelines. It closely resembles the 2018 European Society of Cardiology/ESH guidelines, with incremental rather than major changes. Although the ESH guidelines are primarily written for European clinicians and public health workers, there is a high degree of concordance between its recommendations and those in the other major BP guidelines. Despite the large number of national and international BP guidelines around the world, general population surveys demonstrate that BP guidelines are not being well implemented in any part of the world. The level of BP, which is the basis for diagnosis and management, continues to be poorly measured in routine clinical practice and control of hypertension remains suboptimal, even to a conservative BP target such as a systolic/diastolic BP <140/90 mm Hg. BP guidelines need to focus much more on implementation of recommendations for accurate diagnosis and strategies for improved control in those being treated for hypertension. An evolving body of implementation science can assist in meeting this goal. Given the enormous health, social, and financial burden of high BP, better diagnosis and management should be an imperative for clinicians, government, and others responsible for the provision of health care services. Hopefully, the 2023 ESH will help enable this.
Topics: Humans; Antihypertensive Agents; Hypertension; Blood Pressure; Blood Pressure Determination; Cardiology
PubMed: 37354199
DOI: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.123.21592