Accumulation of microvascular target organ damage in newly diagnosed hypertensive patients

Impaired Muscle Oxygenation and Elevated Exercise Blood Pressure in Hypertensive Patients

“…[2][3][4] Studies have shown that alterations in microvascular structure (rarefaction), vasomotor tonus (enhanced vasoconstriction or blunted vasodilation), and endothelial dysfunction are principal processes in the pathogenesis of hypertension and are evident in several organs/tissue types. [5][6][7][8] In the skeletal muscle, microvascularization is important for oxygen and nutrient supply and for effective metabolite clearance. Studies in hypertension have shown structural or functional impairments in the microvasculature within skeletal muscles, 8 implying a reduced capacity for oxygen delivery and exchange.…”

“…[15][16][17] Certainly, these studies have provided a valuable insight on endothelial function; however, as endothelial cells across the vascular tree exhibit a marked phenotypic heterogeneity in structure and function, results from conduit arteries should not be extrapolated to microvessels and observations from one tissue type to apply to other tissue types. 6,17,18 Furthermore, effective skeletal muscle oxygenation is crucial during exercise when oxygen demand of contracting muscles increases markedly, and an increase in BP is required for adequate oxygen delivery to the exercising tissues. In hypertensives, however, an exaggerated BP response to exercise has been linked to alterations in autonomic nervous system regulatory mechanisms (exercise pressor reflex) and conduit arteries' endothelial dysfunction, as assessed by flow-mediated dilation.…”

Muscle microcirculation alterations and relation to dipping status in newly diagnosed untreated patients with arterial hypertension—A pilot study

“…Endothelium‐dependent vasodilation (estimated mainly by the FMD during reactive hyperemia) is impaired in AH, implying endothelial dysfunction, which plays a crucial role in the pathophysiology of the disease . More interestingly, structural microcirculatory alterations have been described in AH: namely decreased vascular density of the sublingual microcirculation (assessed with microvideoscopic measurements of treated AH patients), arteriolar narrowing and capillary rarefaction of the retinal microcirculatory bed . Functional abnormalities of the microcirculation including attenuated capillary hemodynamics and reduced erythrocyte velocity of finger microcirculation, as well as a weaker responsiveness of the cutaneous microcirculation in a dilator stimulus were also observed in AH patients.…”

Salvianolic acid A inhibits endothelial dysfunction and vascular remodeling in spontaneously hypertensive rats

“…Previous studies have suggested that an assessment of retinal vascular changes might provide meaningful information concerning organ damage in persons with hypertension (Kim et al, 2010, Triantafyllou et al, 2014. In the present study, the protection of SalA against retinal microvascular remodeling was evaluated using hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemical analysis.…”