Pathogenesis of Spontaneous and Pyelonephritic Hypertension in the Dog

The upper limit of normotension in the trained, unanesthetized dog appears to be 145 (135-155) ± 7.5 mm. Hg mean femoral arterial pressure. The incidence of naturally occurring hypertension on the basis of this criterion was 0.9 per cent in 1000 dogs, 1 to 4 years of age. Six of the dogs had so-called spontaneous hypertension which may be similar to or the counterpart of essential hypertension in man. The other three had hypertension associated with chronic pyelonephritis. A renal, renin pathogenesis is indicated for both of these hypertensions by the antihypertensive effect produced by injections of hog renin with resulting antirenin and by passive transfer of high titre homologous antiserum containing antirenin to hog renin which also neutralizes dog renin.