Current Hypertension Reports

Piccoli, Giorgina; Cabiddu, Gianfranca; Attini, Rossella; Parisi, Silvia; Fassio, Federica; Loi, Valentina; Gerbino, Martina; Biolcati, Marilisa; Pani, Antonello; Todros, Tullia

doi: 10.1007/s11906-016-0644-7pmid: 27072828

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasingly encountered in pregnancy, and hypertension is frequently concomitant. In pregnancy, the prevalence of CKD is estimated to be about 3 %, while the prevalence of chronic hypertension is about 5–8 %. The prevalence of hypertension and CKD in pregnancy is unknown. Both are independently related to adverse pregnancy outcomes, and the clinical picture merges with pregnancy-induced hypertension and preeclampsia. Precise risk quantification is not available, but risks linked to CKD stage, hypertension, and proteinuria are probably multiplicative, each at least doubling the rates of preterm and early preterm delivery, small for gestational age babies, and related outcomes. Differential diagnosis (based upon utero-placental flows, fetal growth, and supported by serum biomarkers) is important for clinical management. In the absence of guidelines for hypertension in CKD pregnancies, the ideal blood pressure goal has not been established; we support a tailored approach, depending on compliance, baseline control, and CKD stages, with strict blood pressure monitoring. The choice of antihypertensive drugs and the use of diuretics and of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) are still open questions which only future studies may clarify.

Haller, Hermann; Bertram, Anna; Stahl, Klaus; Menne, Jan

doi: 10.1007/s11906-016-0649-2pmid: 27115525

Aldosterone binds to the mineralocorticoid receptor and has an important regulatory role in body fluid and electrolyte balance. It also influences a variety of different cell functions such as oxidative stress, inflammation and organ fibrosis. The important role of the tissue-specific mineralocorticoid receptors in cardiovascular and renal injury has been shown in knockout animals and in clinical studies Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists seem to exert their beneficial effects via anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects. Spironolactone and eplerenone were the first steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist. The established steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists show important therapeutic effects but are hampered by a variety of side effects, most importantly clinically significant hyperkaliemia. Selective non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists have been recently developed and demonstrate effectiveness in early clinical trials. Finereroneholds promise for the future application of this new mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist class in patients with chronic kidney disease since it has shown a significant reduction in UACR combined with a safety profile similar to that in the placebo group. However, further long-term studies investigating relevant clinical end points like reduction in cardiovascular or renal event rate are warranted.

Narayan, Hafid; Webb, David

doi: 10.1007/s11906-016-0643-8pmid: 27072827

Treatment resistant hypertension (TRH), defined as a blood pressure above goal despite treatment with optimally tolerated doses of 3 antihypertensive agents of different classes, ideally including a diuretic, remains a significant problem and its management an area of uncertainty for physicians. One hypothesis is that resistant hypertension is due to abnormal sodium retention, mediated by aldosterone breakthrough occurring despite blockade of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB). Thus, there has been renewed interest in the use of mineralocorticoid receptor blockers (MRB) to treat this condition. This article critically evaluates new evidence supporting the use of MRB in TRH published in the last 3 years. We conclude that there is now sufficient evidence to recommend MRB, in particular spironolactone, as the first choice medication to treat this condition, and for its inclusion in future guidelines.

Lafeber, M.; Spiering, W.; Visseren, F.; Grobbee, D.

doi: 10.1007/s11906-016-0648-3pmid: 27083928

Hypertension is a major, if not the most important, contributor to the disease burden and premature death globally which is largely related to cardiovascular disease. In both the primary and the secondary preventions of cardiovascular disease, blood pressure (BP) targets are often not achieved which is similar to achievement of cholesterol goals. Combining aspirin, cholesterol and blood pressure-lowering agents into a fixed-dose combination pill called the cardiovascular polypill has been proposed as complementary care in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases in both the primary and secondary preventions of cardiovascular disease. This review article focuses on the potential role of fixed-dose combination therapy in the treatment of hypertension, outlines the pros and cons of combination therapy and emphasizes the rationale for trialling their use. Current and planned future cardiovascular polypill trials are summarized, and the prerequisites for implementation of the polypill strategy are described.

Wolley, Martin; Stowasser, Michael

doi: 10.1007/s11906-016-0641-xpmid: 27072829

Treatment-resistant hypertension is an increasingly recognised problem and is markedly over-represented in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Recent evidence has clarified the heightened risk for both adverse renal and cardiovascular outcomes associated with resistant hypertension, even when blood pressure control is attained. The diagnosis of resistant hypertension in CKD is reliant on accurate blood pressure measurement, and out of office measurements are important due to the high prevalence of masked hypertension in these patients. Treatment strategies include careful dietary measures to restrict sodium intake, and a focus on improving adherence to antihypertensive medications. Medication choices should focus on a sensible foundation and then diuretic titration to combat the salt and volume retention inherent in CKD. In this review, we discuss the epidemiology, pathogenesis and consequences of resistant hypertension in CKD, and then review the optimal diagnostic and management strategies.

LaMarca, Babbette; Amaral, Lorena; Harmon, Ashlyn; Cornelius, Denise; Faulkner, Jessica; Cunningham, Mark

doi: 10.1007/s11906-016-0633-xpmid: 27076345

Preeclampsia is new onset (or worsening of preexisting) hypertension that occurs during pregnancy. It is accompanied by chronic inflammation, intrauterine growth restriction, elevated anti-angiogenic factors, and can occur with or without proteinuria. Although the exact etiology is unknown, it is thought that preeclampsia begins early in gestation with reduced uterine spiral artery remodeling leading to decreased vasculogenesis of the placenta as the pregnancy progresses. Soluble factors, stimulated by the ischemic placenta, shower the maternal vascular endothelium and are thought to cause endothelial dysfunction and to contribute to the development of hypertension during pregnancy. Due to the difficulty in studying such soluble factors in pregnant women, various animal models have been designed. Studies from these models have contributed to a better understanding of how factors released in response to placental ischemia may lead to increased blood pressure and reduced fetal weight during pregnancy. This review will highlight various animal models and the major findings indicating the importance of placental ischemia to lead to the pathophysiology observed in preeclamptic patients.

Mergia, Evanthia; Stegbauer, Johannes

doi: 10.1007/s11906-016-0646-5pmid: 27079836

Cyclic GMP (cGMP) is a ubiquitous intracellular second messenger that mediates a wide spectrum of physiologic processes in multiple cell types within the cardiovascular and nervous systems. Synthesis of cGMP occurs either by NO-sensitive guanylyl cyclases in response to nitric oxide or by membrane-bound guanylyl cyclases in response to natriuretic peptides and has been shown to regulate blood pressure homeostasis by influencing vascular tone, sympathetic nervous system, and sodium and water handling in the kidney. Several cGMPs degrading phosphodiesterases (PDEs), including PDE1 and PDE5, play an important role in the regulation of cGMP signaling. Recent findings revealed that increased activity of cGMP-hydrolyzing PDEs contribute to the development of hypertension. In this review, we will summarize recent research findings regarding the cGMP/PDE signaling in the vasculature, the central nervous system, and the kidney which are associated with the development and maintenance of hypertension.

Chan, Stewart; Graham, Colin; Rainer, T.

doi: 10.1007/s11906-016-0647-4pmid: 27072830

Hypertension is the leading risk factor for the global burden of disease, yet more than 20 % of adults with hypertension are unaware of their condition. Underlying hypertension affects over 25 % emergency department attendees, and the condition is more commonly encountered in emergency departments than in primary care settings. Emergency departments are strategically well placed to fulfill the important public health goal of screening for hypertension, yet less than 30 % of patients with mild to severe hypertension are referred for follow up. In predominantly African American populations, subclinical hypertensive disease is highly prevalent in ED attendees with asymptomatic elevated blood pressure. Although medical intervention is not usually required, in select patient populations, it may be beneficial for antihypertensive medications to be started or adjusted in the emergency department, aiming for optimizing blood pressure control earlier while waiting for continuing care.

Koress, Cody; Swan, Kevin; Kadowitz, Philip

doi: 10.1007/s11906-016-0645-6pmid: 27118316

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressively worsening disorder characterized by increased pulmonary vascular resistance leading to increased afterload, right ventricular hypertrophy, and ultimately right heart failure and death. Current pharmacologic treatments primarily act to reduce pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and provide some benefit but do not cure PAH. Canonical vasodilator therapy involving the nitric oxide (NO)-soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC)-cGMP pathway has demonstrated efficacy, but in pathologic states, endothelial dysfunction within the pulmonary vasculature leads to the reduced synthesis and bioavailability of NO. Acting downstream of NO, sGC stimulators and activators restore the endogenous functions of NO and exploit the positive effects of sGC stimulation on various organ systems, including the heart. Riociguat (BAY 63-2521) is the first agent in a class of sGC stimulators to receive FDA approval for the treatment of PAH and chronic thromboembolic hypertension (CTEPH). Riociguat has demonstrated significant benefit as assessed by 6MWD, PVR, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels, time to clinical worsening, World Health Organization (WHO) functional class, and other quality of life measures in clinical trials as a monotherapy and in combination with endothelin receptor antagonists or non-intravenous prostanoids. Riociguat is the first FDA-approved treatment option for inoperable or persistent CTEPH and adds a new effective drug to available treatment options for pulmonary hypertension (PH). The question of whether riociguat is superior to other available treatment options is unanswered at the present time and requires further study.