Summary

Michael Zile, MD, Medical University of South Carolina, discussed the HTN-HF continuum, focusing on matrix mettalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). Research conducted at his own institution measured plasma profiles of MMPs and TIMPs in HF patients and age-matched healthy people. “We know that inflammatory cytokines induce MMP expression in vitro,” Dr. Zile said. The South Carolina investigators detected MMP/TIMP ratios elevated as high as 16-fold in hypertensive patients with HF.