Recent Developments in Drug Targets and Combination Therapy for the Clinical Management of Hypertension

Abstract

Raised blood pressure is the most common complication worldwide that may lead to atherosclerosis and ischemic heart disease. Unhealthy lifestyles, smoking, alcohol consumption, junk food, and genetic disorders are some of the causes of hypertension. To treat this condition, numerous antihypertensive medications are available, either alone or in combination, that work via various mechanisms of action. Combinational therapy provides a certain advantage over monotherapy in the sense that it acts in multi mechanism mode and minimal drug amount is required to elicit the desired therapeutic effect. Such therapy is given to patients with systolic blood pressure greater than 20 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure exceeding 10 mmHg beyond the normal range, as well as those suffering from severe cardiovascular disease. The selection of antihypertensive medications, such as calcium channel blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), and low-dose diuretics, hinges on their ability to manage blood pressure effectively and reduce cardiovascular disease risks. This review provides insights into the diverse monotherapy and combination therapy approaches used for elevated blood pressure management. In addition, it offers an analysis of combination therapy versus monotherapy and discusses the current status of these therapies, from researchbased findings to clinical trials.

Beneficial Effects of Spirulina Supplementation in the Management of Cardiovascular Diseases

“…This is complicated by the fact that high blood pressure may show no symptoms even for many years, thus posing a significant challenge for its management [ 36 ]. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that monotherapy is often not sufficient to lower blood pressure in hypertensive patients [ 37 ]. Egan and colleagues reported that administering combination therapy, which involves the use of multiple antihypertensives, could be an alternative approach to managing hypertension because it induces better cardiovascular outcomes than monotherapy [ 38 ].…”