Where hypertension happens
Timothy L. Reudelhuber
Timothy L. Reudelhuber
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Commentary

Where hypertension happens

Abstract

Essential hypertension, which accounts for 90%–95% of all cases of hypertension seen in the clinic, is also referred to as idiopathic hypertension, because we simply don’t understand the cause(s). Although many theories have been advanced, in the current issue of the JCI, Gonzalez-Villalobos et al. present further evidence implicating the intrarenal renin-angiotensin system and take us one step further by proposing a mechanism underlying this pathology.

Authors

Timothy L. Reudelhuber

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Figure 1

The circulating and intrarenal RAS.

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The circulating and intrarenal RAS. (A) Angiotensin II is produced in th...
(A) Angiotensin II is produced in the circulation and can raise blood pressure by promoting vasoconstriction and increasing salt and water retention. (B) Gonzalez-Villalobos et al. (7) suggest that circulating angiotensin II stimulates an intrarenal RAS cascade and that the resulting locally produced angiotensin II causes hypertension.