Obesity, Sodium Homeostasis, and Arterial Hypertension in Children and Adolescents

BACKGROUND: The relationship between obesity, arterial hypertension, and excessive salt intake has been known for a long time; however, the mechanism of this relationship remains not clear. METHODS: The paper presents a current literature review on the relationship between salt consumption and the development of arterial hypertension in children and adolescents with obesity. RESULTS: In addition to the traditional theory of hypertension development due to the increase in intravascular volume and disturbances of sodium excretion, recent studies indicate the existence of a complex mechanism related to excessive, pathological secretory activity of adipocytes, insulin resistance, and impaired function of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone axis. That makes obese children and adolescents particularly vulnerable to the development of salt-sensitive arterial hypertension. Studies performed in many countries have shown that children and adolescents consume more sodium than recommended. It is worth noting, however, that the basis for these recommendations was the extrapolation of data from studies conducted on adults. Moreover, more important than sodium intake is the Na/K ratio and water consumption. CONCLUSION: Regardless of the population-wide recommendations on reducing salt intake in children, specific recommendations for overweight and obese patients should be developed.