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Interleukins as diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets in hypertension

Abstract:

Hypertension (HTN) is one of the most prominent risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), which represents the leading cause of morbimortality worldwide. In addition to their prevalence, both entities bear a significant decay in patients’ quality of life, and high economic costs for public health systems. Notoriously, only a third of the population with HTN appears to be able to consistently achieve their treatment goals, which leads to worse clinical outcomes and accelerated disease progression. This suggests there are important pitfalls in the current diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for HTN. This deficiency has propelled the execution of a great volume of preclinical and clinical research in the search for new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to HTN, with more innovative molecular and practical aspects. Some of the more attractive proposals in this scenario are chronic inflammation and immunologic dysregulation, which have been identified as essential elements in the pathogeny of these entities. Some ubiquitous molecules in immune functioning, such as interleukins, may serve as valuable biomarkers for diagnostic assessment in HTN, CVD, and other related conditions; as well as targets for therapeutic intervention. This article discusses the potential role of interleukins as diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets in HTN.