Abstract
The increase in blood pressure following menopause sets women up for increased risk of negative cardiovascular outcomes. The increase in blood pressure occurs 5-10 years following cessation of menses which suggests that mechanisms other than loss of female sex hormones may play roles in mediating the hypertension. Recent studies using rat models of aging have begun to shed light on some of possible mechanisms responsible for postmenopausal hypertension. This review outlines the most recent studies and addresses questions remaining to be addressed.
Keywords: Spontaneously hypertensive rats, Dahl salt sensitive rats, sympathetic nervous system, metabolic syndrome, oxidative stress, renin-angiotensin, endothelin
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