Traditional drug therapy of hypertension in transplant recipients

Abstract

Hypertension is a very common condition among recipients of transplanted organs, and is often related to immunosuppressive therapy. In many transplant centres, calcium antagonists are often used as first-line antihypertensive drug therapy, not only because of efficacy in lowering blood pressure, but also because certain members of the class have a ‘beneficial’ drug–drug interaction with cyclosporin, which decreases the cost of administering this very expensive immunosuppressant. Diuretics are often used both for blood pressure and volume control, and some centres have used either alpha-beta-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, and even beta-blockers with success in certain patients. The high frequency of perceived adverse effects of antihypertensive drugs in transplant recipients and the diversity of training of the specialist physicians involved in their care makes choice of traditional antihypertensive drug therapy in these patients a major challenge.