Anti-Hypertensive Drugs are
medicines that help lower blood pressure.
Purpose
Anti-Hypertensive Drugs are used to help control blood pressure in
people whose blood pressure is too high. Blood pressure is a
measurement of the force with which blood moves through the body's
system of blood vessels. Although everyone's blood pressure goes up
and down in the course of a typical day-getting higher when they are
active and going down when they sleep. Some people have blood
pressure that stays high all the time. This condition is known as
hypertension. Hypertension is not the same as nervous tension.
People who have high blood pressure are not necessarily tense,
high-strung or nervous. They may not even be aware of their
condition.
Being aware of high blood pressure and doing something to control
it are extremely important, however. Untreated, high blood pressure
can lead to diseases of the heart and arteries, kidney damage, or
stroke, and can shorten life expectancy.
Treatments for high blood pressure depend on the type of
hypertension. Most cases of high blood pressure are called Essential
or Primary Hypertension, meaning that the high blood pressure is not
caused by some other medical condition. For most people with primary
hypertension, it is difficult to figure out the exact cause of the
problem. However, such hypertension usually can be controlled by
some combination of anti-hypertensive drugs and changes in daily
habits (such as diet, exercise, and weight control).
In people with Secondary Hypertension, the high blood pressure may
be due to medical problems such as kidney disease, narrowing of
certain arteries, or tumors of the adrenal glands. Correcting these
problems often cures the high blood pressure, and no further
treatment is needed.
Controlling primary hypertension, on the other hand, is usually a
life-long commitment. Although people may be able to reduce the
amount of medicine they take as their blood pressure improves, they
usually must continue taking it for the rest of their lives.
Description
Many different types of drugs are used, alone or in combination
with other drugs, to treat high blood pressure. The major categories
are: ·
- Angiotensin-converting Enzyme Inhibitors: ACE inhibitors work
by preventing a chemical in the blood, angiotensin I, from being
converted into a substance that increases salt and water
retention in the body. These drugs also make blood vessels
relax, which further reduces blood pressure. ·
- Angiotensin II Receptor Antagonists: These drugs act at a
later step in the same process that ACE inhibitors affect. Like
ACE inhibitors, they lower blood pressure by relaxing blood
vessels. ·
- Beta blockers: Beta blockers affect the body's response to
certain nerve impulses. This, in turn, decreases the force and
rate of the heart's contractions, which lowers blood pressure. ·
- Blood Vessel Dilators (Vasodilators): These drugs lower blood
pressure by relaxing muscles in the blood vessel walls. ·
- Calcium Channel Blockers: Drugs in this group slow the
movement of calcium into the cells of blood vessels. This
relaxes the blood vessels and lowers blood pressure. ·
- Diuretics: These drugs control blood pressure by eliminating
excess salt and water from the body. ·
- Nerve Blockers: These drugs control nerve impulses along
certain nerve pathways. This allows blood vessels to relax and
lowers blood pressure.
