Etiology of essential hypertension.

It is not possible to understand the etiology of hypertension without considering the role of inheritance. Epidemiological evidence indicates that the development of high blood pressure in the population at large depends on the interaction of different types of genes and several environmental influences. The sources of genetic variation in blood pressure distribution are polygenes, polymorphic genes, and dominant idiomorphic genes. The main environmental sources are weight gain, excess salt (Na) intake, and psychosocial stress. Only those individuals with a specific genetic predisposition may develop high blood pressure when exposed to excessive environmental influences.