Takeaway
- Treating hypertension in someone with asthma requires a multifactorial approach, with an emphasis on controlling both, treating both, and implementing lifestyle adjustments.
- These authors summarise mechanisms that link asthma and hypertension and offer a road map for management.
Why this matters
- This patient group represents a substantial population; people with asthma may be predisposed to hypertension because of a combination of factors, including stress and inflammation.
Key results
- The authors break down links between asthma and hypertension by type of asthma, noting "multiple mechanistic links" between type 2 low asthma and hypertension.
- Approaches to treatment that suggest include:
- Controlling both conditions as a first step, with care about pharmacological choices.
- Monitoring for adverse effects.
- Lifestyle modifications to address diet, weight loss, exercises, and alcohol intake.
- Choice of antihypertensive agent requires special consideration in these patients, such as caution with beta-blockers because of bronchoconstrictive effects.
- One issue with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors is a related cough that can arise in people taking it, offering potential for confusion.
- They say that angiotensin-receptor blockers "may be the preferred choice" of renin-angiotensin drugs.
- The above provides only a summary of their comments and recommendations; clinicians should consult the full text for details.
Study design
- A review with expert recommendations.
References
References
