Novel mechanisms of salt-sensitive hypertension

Abstract

A high dietary sodium-consumption level is considered the most important lifestyle factor that can be modified to help prevent an increase in blood pressure and the development of hypertension. Despite numerous studies over the past decades, the pathophysiology explaining why some people show a salt-sensitive blood pressure response and others do not is incompletely understood. Here, a brief overview of the latest mechanistic insights is provided, focusing on the mononuclear phagocytic system and inflammation, the gut-kidney axis, and epigenetics. The article also discusses the effects of 3 types of novel drugs on salt-sensitive hypertension-sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors, nonsteroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, and aldosterone synthase inhibitors. The conclusion is that besides kidney-centered mechanisms, vasoconstrictor mechanisms are also relevant for both the understanding and treatment of this blood pressure phenotype.