Blood pressure pathologies

Hypertension is the most common cardiovascular disease in fact, nearly 25% of adults in the U.S. are considered hypertensive. Hypertension is defined as a consistent elevation in blood pressure such that systolic/diastolic pressures are >140/90 mmHg. Over time, chronic hypertension can cause pathological changes in the vasculature and in the heart. As a result, hypertensive patients are at increased risk for atherosclerosis, aneurysm, stroke, myocardial infarction, heart failure, and kidney failure. There are several categories of antihypertensive agents ... 

Cat K inhibitor therapy may also result in protection against the development of atherosclerosis. Cat K-deficient mice show reduced atherosclerotic lesion number and size on an ApoE receptor-deficient background, compared to wild-type animals [38,39]. Cat K is also associated with increased adiposity in humans [27,28] and may also play a role as a kininase, suggesting a role in blood pressure regulation [40]. Cat K has also been postulated to play a role in the pathology of rheumatoid arthritis [41,42],... 

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