Hypertension Alters Artery Structure, Accelerating the Development of Atherosclerosis

The raised blood pressure of hypertension is well known to accelerate the progression of atherosclerosis. It certainly makes it more likely for blood vessels weakened by atherosclerotic lesions to rupture, or for the lesions themselves to fragment and cause blockages. Beyond that, however, mechanisms are at work in the environment of high blood pressure to accelerate the growth of these lesions. The major consequences of atherosclerosis, stroke and heart attack, are the cause of death for a sizable fraction of all people, and this is why blood pressure control produces a meaningful reduction in mortality risk, by slowing the progression towards those consequences. Blood pressure-lowering drugs are routinely used to prevent the development of atherosclerosis and heart disease, but the mechanism of this effect is still unknown. People suffering from high blood pressure (hypertension) often have accompanying changes in the hormones that control blood pressure and it has been unclear whether the pressure itself or the hormonal changes are the driver of accelerated atherosclerosis. To investigate this, researchers analyzed the development of atherosclerosis in minipigs that were genetically engineered to have high blood cholesterol and develop atherosclerosis. Minipigs have arteries that are very similar in structure to human arteries and like humans they develop atherosclerosis in the heart when exposed to high blood cholesterol. By manipulating blood pressure in ...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs