[Physiopathology of arterial hypertension. Role of the nervous system and of the hormones].

Maintenance of normotension rests upon the overall salt and water balance, which, in the event of disequilibrium, modifies body fluid, cardiac output and total peripheral resistance. The kidneys play a central role in this hydro-saline regulation. The central and autonomous nervous systems, the renin-angiotensin system, the mineralocorticoids, the antidiuretic hormone and the kallikrein-bradykinin-prostaglandin system all affect this regulation and are closely interrelated. The role of each of these nervous and endocrine systems in hypertension, and their close interrelationship, is briefly reviewed.