Abstract
Hypertension is the leading preventable risk factor for all-cause morbidity and mortality worldwide. Despite antihypertensive medications have been available for decades, a big challenge we are facing is to increase the blood pressure (BP) control rate among the population. Therefore, it is necessary to search for new antihypertensive means to reduce the burden of disease caused by hypertension. Limb remote ischemic conditioning (LRIC) can trigger endogenous protective effects through transient and repeated ischemia on the limb to protect specific organs and tissues including the brain, heart, and kidney. The mechanisms of LRIC involve the regulation of the autonomic nervous system, releasing humoral factors, improvement of vascular endothelial function, and modulation of immune/inflammatory responses. These underlying mechanisms of LRIC may restrain the pathogenesis of hypertension through multiple pathways theoretically, leading to a potential decline in BP. Several existing studies have explored the impact of LRIC on BP, however, controversial findings were reported. To explore the potential antihypertensive effect of LRIC and the underlying mechanisms, we systematically reviewed the relevant articles to provide an insight into the novel therapy of hypertension.
Highlights
Hypertension is the leading cause of attributable deaths and burden of disease globally, which is one of the important preventable risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD)[1]
The study of Banks et al showed that nine consecutive days of once-daily Limb remote ischemic conditioning (LRIC) treatment including four cycles of 5min ischemia/5min reperfusion cannot lead to a drop in blood pressure (BP) [20]
Patients with hypertension are usually accompanied by continuous imbalance of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), this imbalance is characterized by increased sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity and decreased parasympathetic nerve system (PNS) activity [35]
Summary
Hypertension is the leading cause of attributable deaths and burden of disease globally, which is one of the important preventable risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD)[1]. Despite great efforts have been made and extensive studies have been conducted over the past decades, the control of hypertension is still not satisfying [3, 4]. Due to the heterogeneity in participant selection and LRIC protocols, it is necessary to make a systematic analysis of these studies to explore whether LRIC has the potential to be a novel therapeutic method for hypertension. We systematically analyzed the clinical research data about the impact of LRIC on BP which was published on PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library databases, and Web of Science up to Jan 2021, to explore whether LRIC has a BP-lowering effect and its potential mechanisms. We will provide an overview of the ongoing clinical trials and discuss the challenges we are going to face in the future
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
