Abstract

ESCOBAR CERVANTES, Carlos; CALDERON MONTERO, Alberto  and  BARRIOS ALONSO, Vivencio. Prevención de la fibrilación auricular en el paciente hipertenso. Rev. costarric. cardiol [online]. 2006, vol.8, n.2, pp.25-30. ISSN 1409-4142.

A large percentage of patients with hypertension are affected by atrial fibrillation (AF). The presence of hypertension increases the risk of AF, a condition which in turn aggravates hypertension. The ability of drugs to interfere with specific signal transduction pathways that facilitate the presence of AF in hypertensive patients is promising. To date, the most effective approach appears to be the inhibition of the renin-angiotensin-aaldosterone system with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin-II receptor blockers (ARBs). This approach is under active investigation. Several trials have evaluated the effectiveness of these drugs in the prevention of AF. Data show that both, ACEIs and ARBs appear effective to prevent AF. However, a lack of prospective randomized double-blind trials data limits their application in AF patients without another indication for their use.

Keywords : atrial fibrillation; hypertension; renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system; angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin-II blockers.

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