Drug-induced hypertension: Know the problem to know how to deal with it

Arterial hypertension remains the world's leading mortality risk factor and despite overwhelming evidence that blood pressure-lowering strategies greatly reduce the cardiovascular risk, a substantial proportion of hypertensive individuals worldwide fail to achieve an optimal blood pressure control under treatment. Among the causes responsible for the gap existing between blood pressure lowering potential of the different antihypertensive treatments and real-life practice is the presence of drug-induced hypertension. Many therapeutic agents or substances may directly favour an increment of blood pressure values or counteract the blood pressure lowering effects of antihypertensive drugs. Excessive water and sodium retention, direct vasoconstriction or sympathomimetic activation are major mechanisms of action of such substances. The present manuscript will review medications and other substances that may increase blood pressure, also suggesting the choice of the more appropriate antihypertensive agents to employ when withdrawal of the substance or drug causing an elevation of blood pressure values is not possible.