How does severe, uncontrolled hypertension affect endothelial activation markers such as sVCAM-1, sICAM-1, and vWF?
The study suggests that factors in the hypertensive microenvironment, rather than absolute blood pressure levels alone, drive endothelial activation in severe hypertension.
Even mild elevation of blood pressure may be sufficient to activate the expression of adhesion molecules. Mechanisms other than the endothelial expression of adhesion molecules may be important in mediating the accelerated target organ injury produced by SHT in humans. Concentrations of soluble adhesion molecules and vWF may depend more strongly upon factors in the hypertensive microenvironment other than the absolute level of blood pressure.
Preston et al. (2002) studied this question.