Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 N. State Street, Jackson, MS 39216-4505, USA.
Curr Top Med Chem. 2011;11(13):1736-41. doi: 10.2174/156802611796117667.
Postmenopausal women make up one of the fastest growing populations in the United States. Women typically have a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease following menopause. One of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease is hypertension, and after menopause, blood pressure (BP) increases progressively in women. Also after menopause, the progression of renal disease increases in women compared with aged matched men. However, the mechanism(s) responsible for the post-menopausal increase in BP and renal injury are yet to be elucidated. Moreover the best therapeutic options to treat postmenopausal hypertension in women are not clear. Hypertension in postmenopausal women are usually associated with other cardiovascular risk factors, such as dyslipidemias, visceral obesity and endothelial dysfunction. Recently it became apparent that in a large number of hypertensive postmenopausal women, their BP is not well controlled with conventional antihypertensive medications. A clear understanding of the complex pathogenesis of postmenopausal hypertension is needed in order to offer the best therapeutic options for these women.
绝经后妇女在美国是增长最快的人群之一。女性在绝经后通常心血管疾病的发病率更高。心血管疾病的一个主要危险因素是高血压，绝经后女性的血压会逐渐升高。此外，与年龄匹配的男性相比，绝经后女性的肾脏疾病进展也会增加。然而，导致绝经后血压升高和肾脏损伤的机制尚不清楚。此外，治疗绝经后女性高血压的最佳治疗选择尚不清楚。绝经后女性的高血压通常与其他心血管危险因素有关，如血脂异常、内脏肥胖和内皮功能障碍。最近，人们清楚地意识到，在大量患有高血压的绝经后妇女中，常规的降压药物并不能很好地控制她们的血压。为了为这些女性提供最佳的治疗选择，需要清楚地了解绝经后高血压的复杂发病机制。
