Review on cardiovascular disease and antihypertensive drugs effect on the circulating biomarkers of heart disease

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD), a group of diseases that affect the heart and blood vessels have posed high morbidity rate to humans, with the second-high mortality rate after cancer. These diseases include hypertension, coronary artery disease, cardiac dysrhythmias, cerebrovascular disease, valvular heart disease, cardiomyopathies, peripheral vascular disease, and congenital cardiac abnormalities. These diseases have been observed to affect people of older age and have higher susceptibility in male than the female counterparts. Some circulating biomarkers such as C-reactive protein, cardiac troponin I, myostatin, homocystein, dimethylarginine, e.t.c have been found to be indispensable in the diagnosis and prediction of possible occurrence of CVD. It has been postulated that C-reactive protein rises in acute inflammation and may contribute to further atherosclerosis by stimulating macrophage uptake of low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Antihypertensive drugs are used to combat these diseases and they come in different forms with variable mechanisms of action. Antihypertensive drugs have been postulated to have lowering effect on circulating biomarkers of CVD. However, prophylactic measures are highly recommended.