On the possibility of an allergic factor in essential hypertension

Abstract

A man with essential hypertension who was at the same time allergic to a number of foods was found to exhibit pressor responses following the ingestion of substances to which he was allergic. Allergic dietary restrictions resulted in the disappearance of hypertensive pressure peaks except for a few which could be traced to mental or emotional strain and on one occasion to a break in the diet. The hypertensive tendency persisted, however, since neither systolic nor diastolic pressure returned completely to normal. This was especially evident with the diastolic pressure. The continued use of alcohol is probably one deterrent to complete recovery. When, in addition to allergic eliminations, the patient avoided strenuous mental and physical activities, both systolic and diastolic pressures fell further, to near the upper limits of normal. In a series of 24 individuals with food allergy, 2, not including the case just described, responded to the ingestion of foods to which they were known to be reactive, with an increase in systolic and diastolic pressures. The remainder of the series exhibited no such response. It is noteworthy that one of the two was hypersensitive to heat, a phenomenon which has been described as common in hypertensives. Evidence is presented which suggests that a person with hypertensive predisposition (nonallergic) may, if at the same time he happens to be hypersensitive to foods, experience pressor episodes following the ingestion of foods to which he is sensitized.