Abstract
Antihypertensive medications belong to different pharmacological classes. Besides blood pressure lowering properties, many substances, particularly ACE inhibitors and AT1-receptor antagonists but also in part calcium antagonists and aldosterone receptor antagonists, exert additional anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic effects as well as protective effects on endothelium. Delay of disease progression in chronic kidney disorders by inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system also as the result of blood pressure independent effects has been documented in clinical trials. On the other hand, in patients with essential hypertension without end-organ damage, it remains unclear whether the clinically proven blood pressure independent effects of antihypertensive agents are also clinically relevant. However, in clinical studies ACE inhibitors and AT1-receptor antagonists reduce the de novo occurrence of the diabetic metabolic state. Inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system decreases the incidence of diabetic nephropathy. This contribution presents currently available data on possible blood pressure independent effects of antihypertensive agents.
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