Sensing Salt Intake

Abstract

The long-term regulation of blood pressure rests on renal and nonrenal mechanisms and depends on a delicate balance between vasoconstrictor and vasodilator hormones and humoral agents, as well as those factors that act to increase or decrease renal sodium transport. Hypertension develops when this balance is disrupted and abnormalities in the regulation of ion transport intrinsic and extrinsic to the kidney have been proposed to cause essential hypertension. Pressure natriuresis is a key component in the regulation of body fluid volume. In all forms of hypertension, there is a shift of the renal pressure natriuresis curve that requires increased arterial pressure to maintain normal sodium and water balance. The genetic causes of essential hypertension have been difficult to identify. More than one gene is undoubtedly involved because Mendelian dominant and recessive traits are not readily discernible in hypertensive subjects, except in those rare cases of monogenic hypertension. Moreover, in hypertensive persons, it is likely that risk-predisposing genes are engaged in a complex network of gene-gene and gene-environment interactions.1,2 High salt (NaCl) consumption contributes to the development of hypertension and is considered to be an independent risk factor for vascular remodeling, cardiac hypertrophy, …