Device-based antihypertensive therapy: Therapeutic modulation of the autonomic nervous system

Systemic hypertension represents a major cardiovascular epidemic in the developed and developing world. Projections to 2025 suggest that up to 50 of the adult populations of Western countries will meet standard guideline definitions of hypertension 1 and thus will require therapeutic interventions, either nonpharmacological or pharmacological. Hypertension is also a component of many other major comorbidities contributing to cardiovascular disease burden. On the basis of this public health epidemic, maximizing the effectiveness of existing therapeutic strategies and broadening treatment choices available for patients and clinicians are priorities. Ideally, development of novel additional approaches would not only improve blood pressure control but also beneficially influence comorbid factors commonly associated with hypertension, such as metabolic syndrome and other related disorders.