The role of anxiety in the development of arterial hypertension

Arterial hypertension (AH) is one of the significant problems of modern medicine, as the number of patients with this nosology is increasing catastrophically. The frequency of the combination of AH and anxiety is 38%. New data on the role of anxiety in the pathogenesis of AH will probably allow changing the strategies of long-term therapy and prevention in their comorbidity. It is necessary to more widely implement screening tests, cognitive-behavioral non-drug techniques, teach patients relaxation practices, a healthy lifestyle with limitation or complete exclusion of risk factors such as smoking and alcohol. At the same time, drug strategies should not be underestimated, as other methods begin to work quite slowly, a quick result is often needed, which can increase both adherence to basic therapy of AH and increase the effectiveness of non-drug methods. For patients with AH, a faster anxiolytic pharmacological response is important, without the development of withdrawal syndrome, the absence of competitive antagonism with basic drugs, a minimum number of side effects. Benzodiazepines are traditionally used. Given their side effects, among the first-line drugs, the atypical anxiolytic of the benzodiazepine series Tofisopam should be considered. Tofisopam is as effective as diazepam, has significantly fewer side effects and withdrawal symptoms, it increases patients’ adherence to basic therapy, and improves cognitive functions. The anxiolytic effect of the drug is not accompanied by sedative or muscle relaxant effects. At the same time, being a psychovegetative regulator, Tofisopam eliminates various forms of vegetative disorders.