Preclinical predictors of arterial hypertension

Abstract

Arterial hypertension (AH) remains one of the most common diseases and a leading risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in the 21st century. It determines the importance of a search for new factors provoking an increase in blood pressure. This review focuses on studies of preclinical predictors of hypertension. Orthostatic circulatory disorders with clinical signs of cardiovascular deconditioning are risk factors for the development of hypertension and CVD, accompanied by a more rapid increase in vascular stiff ness. Such abnormalities, even minor ones without clinical manifestations, increase the risk of hypertension development in the young population. The review deals with orthostatic changes in hemodynamics and features of neurohormonal change. It has been shown that adaptive processes counteracting an increase in hydrostatic pressure contribute to a significant transient increase in vascular stiff ness. The evolution of orthostatic hemodynamic disorders from preclinical to clinical forms accelerates the process of vascular wall remodeling, leading to a spontaneous increase in its rigidity — one of the significant risk factors for hypertension and CVD. To identify preclinical predictors, a new protocol of passive orthostatic test (POT) was developed. It was standardized not by the tilt angle, but by the height of the hydrostatic column. Further research is needed to evaluate the prognostic capabilities of predictors, to reveal the pathogenetic connection of orthostatic disorders with the development of hypertension, and to remodeling the vascular wall, which causes an increase in its rigidity. It is also required to search for ways to correct preclinical orthostatic disorders in healthy young population for early prevention of hypertension.