Vascular Endothelial Function and Hypertension: Insights and Directions

Hypertension contributes significantly to worldwide cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Hypertension appears to have a complex association with endothelial dysfunction, a phenotypical alteration of the vascular endothelium that precedes the development of adverse cardiovascular events and portends future cardiovascular risk. This review concentrates on recent findings with respect to the mechanisms of hypertension-associated endothelial dysfunction, the interrelationship between these two entities, and the relationship of the efficacy of antihypertensive therapies to improvements in vascular homeostasis beyond blood pressure reduction. Current evidence suggests that hypertension and endothelial dysfunction are integrally related with respect to pathophysiologic mechanisms. Future studies will need to identify the key connections between hypertension and endothelial dysfunction to allow novel interventions to be designed and promulgated.