Renal Denervation for Hypertension: From Innovation to Indication

Abstract

High blood pressure is a common problem around the world. Although many trials attest to the value of reducing blood pressure with medication and lifestyle changes, current prevalence studies of high blood pressure show a substantial portion of the adult population with uncontrolled high blood pressure. Treatment nonadherence is part of the challenge to achieving blood pressure control and newer approaches to high blood pressure treatment, whether device based, or using agents such as silencing ribonucleic acids, have shown high levels of treatment efficacy and since they are administered in the health care setting, adherence is less of an issue. In this introduction to a special issue of the American Journal of Cardiology we will review the history of hypertension treatment and some current epidemiology highlighting the public health importance of improving blood pressure control to reap the well described benefits of lower blood pressure upon the target organs of hypertension. Subsequent sections of this special issue will focus on aspects of renal denervation, including patient selection, efficacy in blood pressure lowering, measuring success of denervation and procedural guidance for this emerging therapy in the management of uncontrolled hypertension.