Levels of endothelial substances in patients with newly identified hypertension compared with healthy controls.

Introduction: Endothelial dysfunction occurs at the very beginning of hypertension. The primary goal of our study was to determine plasmatic levels of multiple endothelial substances in otherwise healthy patients with primary hypertension and compare them to healthy individuals. Secondary goals were to determine the change in NOx levels after initiation of treatment and to compare the NOx levels in patients with established resistant hypertension.

[Endothelial function, its relation to arterial hypertension and the possibility of its modulation].

Endothelium has both a protective and a very complex para-, endo- and autocrine functions. Vascular tone is determined as a balance between the production of vasodilating and vasoconstrictive substances. Among the most important vasodilators are nitric oxide (NO), PGI2, endothelial-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF), adenosine and others, among the most important vasoconstrictors, endothelin-1 and angiotensin-2.