Title:Inflammation Markers in Essential Hypertension
VOLUME: 10 ISSUE: 7
Author(s):Dimitrios Tsounis, Georgios Bouras, Georgios Giannopoulos, Charalampos Papadimitriou, Dimitrios Alexopoulos and Spyridon Deftereos
Affiliation:Department of Cardiology, Athens General Hospital “G. Gennimatas” Mesogeion 154, 11527, Athens, Greece.
Keywords:Adhesion molecules, biomarkers, CRP, cytokines, hypertension, inflammation, target organ damage, treatment.
Abstract:Essential hypertension is a common health disorder with uncertain etiology and unclear pathophysiology. There
is evidence that various systems interact in uncertain ways and mechanisms to cause hypertension. It is also well known
that inflammation is a key feature in the initiation, progression and clinical implication of several cardiovascular diseases.
Recently, it has become evident that the immune system and inflammatory response are also essential in the pathogenesis
of hypertension.
Many inflammation markers such as CRP, cytokines, and adhesion molecules have been found elevated in hypertensive
patients supporting the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of hypertension. Also, in normotensive individuals, these
markers have been associated with the risk of developing hypertension, whereas in hypertensive patients they have been
associated with target organ damage as well as with the risk for future cardiovascular events. Thus, understanding the role
of inflammation in hypertension provides new insights for novel therapeutic approaches, targeting inflammation for the
treatment of hypertension and its complications.
