Hypertension Essay

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What is hypertension? Hypertension is a medical condition where the blood pressure in the arteries is elevated. (Nordqvist 2013) Hypertension is commonly known as high blood pressure. If hypertension is left untreated, it can cause severe health problems such as stroke and heart failure. In order to treat hypertension, the drug Losartan is used. Losartan is an angiotensin-II receptor antagonist (AIIRA). In other words, it can also be known as angiotensin receptor blocker. (Allen 2012)

There are generally two categories of hypertension, primary hypertension and secondary hypertension. The causes of primary hypertension are usually unknown and it develops gradually over the years. As for secondary hypertension, the causes are mainly underlying other health problems and it develops in a sudden of time. (The Healthline Editorial Team 2013) First of all, hypertension can be related to renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS). Renin is an enzyme secreted mainly via the juxtaglomerular apparatus of the kidney when the sodium retention and water retention are reduced in the blood. (Beevers, Lip, and O'Brien 2001) Renin will bind to a substrate which is angiotensinogen and form angiotensin I which is an inactive peptide. (Foëx and Sear 2004) After that, angiotensin I will be rapidly converted to an active peptide angiotensin II by angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) in lungs. As a result, vasoconstriction occurs due to presence of angiotensin II and this increases the blood pressure. Moreover, angiotensin II can stimulate the releasing of aldosterone by adrenal glands. Secretion of aldosterone raises the blood pressure by reabsorbing sodium salts and water to increase sodium and water retentions. (Beevers, Lip, and O'Brien 2001)

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...t cannot be ignored. Uncontrollable hypertension can be very dangerous as it may lead to many other diseases such as heart failure, stroke and diabetes. Therefore, people should have medical check-up regularly on hypertension. As written above, the pathophysiology of hypertension is due to renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-system. Others like cardiac output and peripheral resistance and endothelial dysfunction can be also related to the pathophysiology of hypertension. Drug like losartan is used to treat hypertension. It acts on the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-system by competing with angiotensin II to bind to AT1 receptors and thus stopping the production of aldosterone that would increase the blood pressure. Lastly, this drug should be taken accordingly with the advices from doctors and pharmacists as some people may have undergo side effects and allergic reactions.

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