Neurogenic essential hypertension revisited: the case for increased clinical and research attention

Abstract

The management of essential hypertension has increasingly focused on the use of diuretics, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, and angiotensin receptor blockers, which lower blood pressure (BP) through effects on blood volume and on the renin-angiotensin system. However, in many individuals these agents, whether given alone or in combination, fail to normalize BP. In such cases it is likely that hypertension is at least partly maintained by pathophysiologic mechanisms other than volume and the renin-angiotensin system, and therefore, that pharmacotherapy directed at other mechanisms is needed. One such form of hypertension is the often overlooked entity of neurogenic hypertension. The purpose of this article is to renew attention to this overlooked entity, to provide a very clinically oriented overview of its possible causes and manifestations, and to discuss the potentially important treatment implications of recognizing this form of hypertension. These implications underscore the need for further clinical and research attention concerning neurogenically mediated hypertension.