Lecture 5- Hypertension and heart failure Flashcards
What is BP?
- Driving force to perfuse organs with blood (force per. Unit area acting on vessels)
- Not uniform throughout body
- Reported as systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP)
- Cyclical with the cardiac cycle
- Physiologically regulated variable- it changes

blood pressure equationa
Mean arterial pressure = CO x RPR
MAP= DBP + (SBP-DBP/3) (this is how we actually calculate)
Blood pressure regulation
- Autonomic sympathetic activity
- RAAS
- Local action by autacoids e.g. bradykinin and NO- action of endothelium on vascular smooth muscle

the higher the total peripheral resistance the higher the mean arterial pressure… what changes the resistance in blood vessels
radius of the blood vessel
Radius decreases and resistance increase
- Smooth muscle tone changes TPR
- Vasoconstriction increase peripheral resistance, requiring higher BP to drive blood through the systemic circulation
hypertension (essential, primary, idiopathic) is still not
fully understoo
hypertension causes vascular changes
- Remodelling
- Thickening
- Hypertrophy
pathophysiology of vascular changes due to hypertension
- Increases vasoactive substances inc ET-1, NAd, angII
- Vascular remodelling also occurs as a direct result of local salt sensitivity
- Hyperinsulinemia and hyperglycaemia lead to endothelial dysfunction and increased reactive oxygen species- NO signalling reduced.
vascular changes results in
- Permanent and maintained medial hypertrophy of vasculature increasing TPR and decreasing compliance of the vessel
- End organs specifically at risk
- Renal
- Peripheral vascular disease
- Aneurysm
- Vascular dementia
- Retinal disease
- Also causes hypertensive disease- left ventricular heart failure- dilated cardiac failure
- Increased morbidity and mortality
Why treat hypertension if it is asymptomatic?
- Managing BP reduces risk of SBP and stroke etc
NICE definition of hypertension
140/90 mmHg= hypertension
types of hypertension
- 90% essential/primary/idiopathic hypertension
- Second hypertension (due to other pathology)
- Pre hypertension
- Isolated systolic/diastolic hypertension
- White coat/clinic
white coat effect

hypertension is a
silent killer- therefore increasing public awareness of risk factors is important
- screening those at risk is important
clinical diagnosis (best practice)
- Sitting, relaxed and arm is supported
- Both arms, >15 mmHg difference repeat measurement and use arm with higher reading
- Measurements over period of visit +/- ABPM/HBPM
- Emergency treatment required? (>180 SBP or 120 DBP + clinical signs)
- CVD risk and end organ damage should be assessed whilst waiting for hypertension confirmation
Aim of hypertension treatment
- Target BP (diff for diff populations)
- Reduced CVD risk

Prehypertension
- Slippery slope (>120/60 <140/90 mmHg
- Aim (to reduce CVD risk)
- Promotion of regular exercise
- Modified diet
- Reduction in stress and increased relaxation
- Limit alcohol intake
- Discourage excessive caffeine consumption
- Smoking cessation
- Reduced dietary sodium
- These should be promoted in all patient groups
*
desired bp
120/80 mmHG
how many stages of hypertension
3
stage 1 hypertension
- clinic BP raning from 140/90 mmHg to 159/99 mmHg
- ABPM (ambularotry blood pressure monitoring) or HBPM (home) daytime average raning from 135/85 mmHg to 149/94 mmHg
stage 2 hypertension
- clinic BP raning from 160/100 mmHg to 180/120 mmHg
- ABPM (ambularotry blood pressure monitoring) or HBPM (home) daytime average raning from 150/85 mmHg or higher
stage 3 or severe hypertension
clinic systolic BP of 180 mmHg or higher OR clinic diastolic BP 120mmHg or higher
Primary hypertension therapeutic agents
- Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi)
- Angiotensin (AT1) receptor blockers (ARBs)
- Calcium channel blockers (CCBs)
- Diuretics- thiazide and thiazide-like
- Other. Agents for resistant hypertension
Lots of hypertension therapeutics target RAAS
- ACE is found on luminal surface of capillary endothelial cells- vascular tissue
- ACE catalyses conversion of angiotensin I–> angiotensin II(active vasoconstrictor)
- angiotensin II affords action through AT1 (and AT2 receptors)
- AT1 receptors subtype of classic angiotensin II action
- Vasoconstriction
- Stimulation of aldosterone which acts at distal renal tubule
- Cardiac and vascular muscle cell growth
- Vasopressin (ADH) release from posterior pituitary
- Angiotensin II and aldosterone increase BP through combination of vasoconstriction and increasing circulating blood volume

outline the mechanism of action of ACEi
- Inhibits circulating tissue ACE
- Limit conversion of angiotensin I –> angiotensin II
-
Main action: Reduction in ATII:
- Vasodilation (decreased peripheral resistance à decreased afterload)
- Reduction in aldosterone release (increased sodium and H2O excretion)
- Reduced vasopressin (ADH) release (increased water excretion)
- Reduced cell growth and proliferation
- Remember: angiotensin II also produced from angiotensin I independently of ACE via chymases (see ARBs)
-
Secondary action: Bradykinin is also a substrate for ACE
- Use of ACEi potentiates bradykinin
- Vasodilation via NOS/NO and PGL2
- ACEi vasodilation in low-renin hypertensives
- Use of ACEi potentiates bradykinin







