Arq. Bras. Cardiol. 2022; 118(6): 1083-1084
Differences among Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (BRA) in the Treatment of Arterial Hypertension
This Short Editorial is referred by the Research article "Angiotensin Receptor Blockers Evaluated by Office and Home Blood Pressure Measurements. TeleHBPM Study".
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the main cause of death and disability in Brazil, and arterial hypertension (AH) is the main risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Early diagnosis and correct treatment are priority actions to face the problem. The National Health Survey conducted by the Ministry of Health in 2013 (PNS-2013) determined the prevalence of AH by direct measurement of blood pressure (BP) and use of antihypertensive drugs in a representative sample of the Brazilian adult population. Prevalence of 32.3% (95%CI: 31.7 – 33.0) indicated nearly 50 million hypertensive patients. Around 70% depend on the Unified Health System (SUS) for both diagnosis and pharmaceutical care, an essential aspect of the Chronic Noncommunicable Diseases (NCD) plan.
According to the current guidelines, the initial treatment of AH should be carried out with general measures, including regular aerobic physical activity, reduction of salt intake, increased consumption of fruits and vegetables and weight reduction when obesity or overweight is present. These measures benefit everyone and not only hypertensive patients indeed. Even adopting these strategies, many patients still depend on the regular use of drugs to get high BP control. Thus, the use of these drugs shows great importance because, given the dimension of the problem, even small pressure reductions generate a positive impact for millions of individuals affecting the morbidity and mortality rates due to CVD. Thus, the search for effective treatments for BP control has paramount importance to adopt public policies in this area.
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