Sympathetic deactivation as a goal of nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic antihypertensive treatment: Rationale and options

Several unanswered questions remain about the effects of nonpharmacologic or pharmacologic treatment on sympathetic function. These include 1) the effects of an association between no drug and drug treatment, 2) the effects of a combination drug treatment, and 3) the relationship between the intervention-induced sympathetic modulation and the concomitant effects on target-organ damage. Answers to these questions will allow for more precise definition of the clinical relevance of the therapeutic-induced sympathoinhibition in terms of cardiovascular protection.