[Aldosterone and cardiovascular diseases, more than water and salt retention].
The activation of the different neurohumoral system plays an important role in the different mechanisms of the development and progression of arterial hypertension and chronic heart failure. The renin-angiotensin II-aldosterone system is one of the key players in this process. With the use of ACE-inhibitors in the treatment of hypertension and heart failure, less attention has been paid to aldosterone. Aldosterone has been only considered as a humoral factor playing a role in salt and water homeostasis and as a consequence controlling arterial blood pressure. There is now evidence of vascular synthesis of aldosterone besides the secretion at the adrenal cortex as well that aldosterone is involved in the development of left ventricular hypertrophy in arterial hypertension, decreased arterial elasticity of the large arteries in chronic heart failure and is inversely correlated with venous capacitance in chronic heart failure. Moreover aldosterone plays a role in the disturbances of the vascular matrix, endothelial dysfunction as well as baroreflex dysfunction. This work has contributed indirectly in the unraveling of the mechanisms which could be partly explained the results of the RALES-trial. The new research project will be focused on the study of the cross-talk between the autonomic nervous system and aldosterone in normotension, arterial hypertension and heart failure.
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Universitair Ziekenhuis Gent De Pintelaan 185, B 9000 Gent.
D000450:Aldosterone / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000502:physiology*; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001834:Body Water / Q000378:metabolism; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D012084:Renin-Angiotensin System / Q000502:physiology; D012964:Sodium / Q000378:metabolism; D014883:Water-Electrolyte Imbalance / Q000503:physiopathology
D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D000450:Aldosterone; D012964:Sodium