Candesartan in the prevention of cardiovascular catastrophes: emphasis on the pre-vention of stroke

Abstract

Arterial hypertension is one of the most important risk factors of acute cerebral circulatory disorders. Many clinical studies indicate that there are mechanisms that permit the prevention of stroke irrespective of a direct reduction in blood pressure. Antihypertensive agents affecting the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system may have a cerebral protective effect beyond blood pres-sure lowering. The ability of angiotensin II receptor antagonists to prevent the development of stroke is associated with the fact that with the use of these agents, angiotensin II interacts with AT2-receptors, thereby improving the blood flow in the brain and enhancing the neuronal resis-tance to hypoxia. In this review, the focus is on the capacity of the angiotensin II receptor an-tagonist candesartan to prevent severe cerebrovascular events.

Keywords

• arterial hypertension
• stroke
• at2-receptors
• candesartan