Do arterial chemoreceptors play a role in the pathogenesis of hypertension?

Although the arterial chemoreflex exerts a powerful influence upon the cardiovascular system, this reflex has until now been a disregarded factor in hypertension research. By comparing the physiological effects of chemoreceptor excitation to disarrangements present during the early labile phase of hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats, we found remarkable similarities. A search through the literature as well as our experimental data fully confirm this association. Many factors, among them decreased blood flow through the glomic tissue, lead to chemoreceptor stimulation. The origins of the chemoreceptor arteries are located in areas very susceptible to atherosclerotic changes which can lead to ischemia of chemoreceptor tissue. We are led to hypothesize that arterial chemoreflex is a significant factor in the etiology of essential hypertension.