Medicamentous cardioprotection. 2: Hypertension
Michel, D.
Fortschritte der Medizin 108(6): 111-116
1990
ISSN/ISBN: 0015-8178 PMID: 2138995 Document Number: 367553
Coronary heart diseases are three times more common in hypertensives older than 65 than in normotensive patients with comparable risk profiles. To be effective, cardioprotection must cover both elevated blood pressure and its consequences for the myocardium and coronary vessels (myocardial hypertrophy, microangiopathy and macroangiopathy), and should employ substances that have an effect on the underlying pathophysiological processes of hypertension and hypertensive cardiopathy. These preconditions are, at least in part, met by calcium antagonists, ACE-inhibitors and beta blockers. They have been proved to bring about a lasting decrease in blood pressure, and regression of cardiac enlargement. Regression of coronary sclerotic changes, however, is not yet certain. Overadditive effects have been described for the combination of calcium antagonists and ACE-inhibitors.