[Platelet aggregation in arterial hypertension]

Hypertension is a major risk factor for stroke/myocardial infarction as expression of the atherogenic process. Platelets play a fundamental role in all these disease processes. In physiological conditions there is an equilibrium between pro aggregating and anti aggregating factors. In pathological situations this equilibrium is broken and pro aggregating factors are predominant . Patients with hypertension have an state of hyper-aggregation and dysequilibrium in the production of eicosanoids. Some antihypertensive drugs tend to not only reduce blood pressure to control levels but to reduce platelet aggregation and re-establish the broken equilibrium in eicosanoid production.