Pathogenesis of Hypertension

Essential hypertension, or hypertension of unknowncause, accounts for more than 90 % of cases of hyper-tension. It tends to cluster in families and represents a collection of genetically based diseases or syndromes with several resultant inherited biochemical abnormalities (1– 4). The resulting phenotypes can be modulated by various environmental factors, thereby altering the severity of blood pressure elevation and the timing of hypertension onset. Many pathophysiologic factors have been implicated in the genesis of essential hypertension: increased sympathetic nervous system activity, perhaps related to heightened ex-posure or response to psychosocial stress; overproduction of sodium-retaining hormones and vasoconstrictors; long-term high sodium intake; inadequate dietary intake of potassium and calcium; increased or inappropriate renin secretion with resultant increased production of angiotensin II and