Anna Remková
The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is an important factor in the pathogenesis of hypertension and cardiovascular diseases such as arrhythmias, congestive heart failure and coronary heart disease. In addition, the increased SNS activity is thought to be central to all aspects of metabolic syndrome, increasing the risk of atherosclerosis. Reducing the SNS activity is a desirable target in the management of high blood pressure. Moxonidine and rilmenidine are new second-generation centrally acting antihypertensive agents with reduced side-effects that are able to diminish SNS activity. They act on the newly described imidazoline I1–receptor, also having a lesser effect on central 2–adrenergic receptors. Drugs like moxonidine and rilmenidine are effective not only to reduce the high blood pressure, but they may favorably affect all cardiovascular risk factors. On the available evidence, they seem to be a logical choice especially for obese hypertensive patients with coexisting glucose intolerance or dyslipidaemia.