Definition
Reducing blood pressure by pharmacological means reduces cardiovascular morbidity and mortality rates. Benefits include protection from stroke, coronary events, heart failure, progression of renal disease, progression to more severe hypertension, and, most importantly, mortality from all causes. Owing to the complexity of the pathogenesis of hypertension, antihypertensive drugs are directed against a variety of pharmacological targets in various cell types in different organs involved in blood pressure control.
Mechanism of Action
The fundamental mechanisms involved in blood pressure control have been outlined in chapter “Blood Pressure Control.” In addition to direct neuronal modulation of arterial pressure, two neurohumoral systems, i.e., the sympathetic nervous system and the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAS), play a pivotal role in blood pressure control. Both systems are always either directly or...
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Kreutz, R., Algharably, E.A.EH. (2020). Antihypertensive Drugs. In: Offermanns, S., Rosenthal, W. (eds) Encyclopedia of Molecular Pharmacology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21573-6_11-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21573-6_11-1
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