Aliskiren – an alternative to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers in the therapy of arterial hypertension

There has been enormous progress in antihypertensive therapy over the last few decades. However, the management of arterial hypertension is still insufficient and more efforts are needed to improve both non-pharmacological and pharmacological treatment of this widely prevalent disease. Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibition is crucial both for blood pressure (BP) control and for prevention of organ damage or its development in patients with hypertension. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and/or sartans block RAAS incompletely. Aliskiren is one of the novel drugs that has been introduced to antihypertensive therapy recently. Up to now no trial has confirmed that aliskiren is efficacious in reducing cardiovascular events. Double RAAS blockade with aliskiren was not always safe. This review article presents the current view on the place of aliskiren in the therapy of arterial hypertension.