Treatment resistant hypertension (TRH), defined as a blood pressure above goal despite treatment with optimally tolerated doses of 3 antihypertensive agents of different classes, ideally including a diuretic, remains a significant problem and its management an area of uncertainty for physicians. One hypothesis is that resistant hypertension is due to abnormal sodium retention, mediated by aldosterone breakthrough occurring despite blockade of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB). Thus, there has been renewed interest in the use of mineralocorticoid receptor blockers (MRB) to treat this condition. This article critically evaluates new evidence supporting the use of MRB in TRH published in the last 3 years. We conclude that there is now sufficient evidence to recommend MRB, in particular spironolactone, as the first choice medication to treat this condition, and for its inclusion in future guidelines.
Keywords: Eplerenone; Mineralocorticoid receptor blockers; Resistant hypertension; Spironolactone.