Environmental factors as a risk for future hypertension

Abstract A review of the literature indicates that several factors have been purported to increase the risk for the development of arterial hypertension: family history, age, sex, race, nutritional factors, salt intake, obesity, various chemical agents, traffic noise, occupational stress, socioeconomic status and social stress. However, it is not known whether these are really independent risk factors for hypertension. We point out that these factors are related to each other and that they differ with regard to their impact on the pathogenesis of essential hypertension. In particular, a hyper‐responsiveness of blood pressure to different stimuli, reflecting an overreactivity of the sympathetic nervous system, appears to play a central role in the pathogenesis of hypertension. Thus, the haemodynamic response to provocative stress tests may enable us to identify individuals at high risk for future hypertension.