Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Environmental Health Perspectives logoLink to Environmental Health Perspectives
. 1979 Apr;29:35–43. doi: 10.1289/ehp.792935

Age as a function in the development of sodium-related hypertension.

R W Tuthill, E J Calabrese
PMCID: PMC1637368  PMID: 510240

Abstract

The populations of the developed nations of the world exhibit an increase in blood pressure with age, while in primitive societies blood pressure remains relatively constant throughout adult life. Hypertension may be a complex of diseases all having the same clinical manifestations but not being caused necessarily by the same factors. A possible common denominator in the development of any chronic elevation of blood pressure is the need for the kidney to increase urine volume to promote sodium excretion and, thereby, prevent a chronically expanded extracellular fluid (ECF). Hypertension may be viewed as a maladaptation of the body in its attempt to maintain homeostasis of the ECF. Man evolved under conditions of relative scarcity of salt and even now can maintain normal body function with an intake of less than 2 g/day. The high risk person appears to have a hereditary predisposition to a rise in blood pressure in the presence of a high sodium (NaCl) intake. Actually, the degree of rise in blood pressure may be an interaction between the amount of genetic predisposition and the level of sodium and its relation to potassium intake. Recent work in two Massachusetts communities supports this interpretation and suggests that differences in blood pressure distribution may increase with age between a higher and lower sodium community.

Full text

PDF
35

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bianchi G., Fox U., Di Francesco G. F., Giovanetti A. M., Pagetti D. Blood pressure changes produced by kidney cross-transplantation between spontaneously hypertensive rats and normotensive rats. Clin Sci Mol Med. 1974 Nov;47(5):435–448. doi: 10.1042/cs0470435. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Buck C. W. The persistence of elevated blood pressure first observed at age five. J Chronic Dis. 1973 Feb;26(2):101–104. doi: 10.1016/0021-9681(73)90008-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Burns-Cox C. J. Splenomegaly and blood pressure in an Orang Asli community in West Malaysia. Am Heart J. 1970 Nov;80(5):718–719. doi: 10.1016/0002-8703(70)90022-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. CRUZ-COKE R., ETCHEVERRY R., NAGEL R. INFLUENCE OF MIGRATION ON BLOOD-PRESSURE OF EASTER ISLANDERS. Lancet. 1964 Mar 28;1(7335):697–699. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(64)91521-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. DAHL L. K., HEINE M., TASSINARI L. Effects of chronia excess salt ingestion. Evidence that genetic factors play an important role in susceptibility to experimental hypertension. J Exp Med. 1962 Jun 1;115:1173–1190. doi: 10.1084/jem.115.6.1173. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. DAHL L. K., LOVE R. A. Evidence for relationship between sodium (chloride) intake and human essential hypertension. AMA Arch Intern Med. 1954 Oct;94(4):525–531. doi: 10.1001/archinte.1954.00250040017003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. DAHL L. K. Salt intake and salt need. N Engl J Med. 1958 Jun 5;258(23):1152–contd. doi: 10.1056/NEJM195806052582305. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Dahl L. K., Heine M., Thompson K. Genetic influence of the kidneys on blood pressure. Evidence from chronic renal homografts in rats with opposite predispositions to hypertension. Circ Res. 1974 Jan;34(1):94–101. doi: 10.1161/01.res.40.4.94. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Dahl L. K., Knudsen K. D., Heine M. A., Leitl G. J. Effects of chronic excess salt ingestion. Modification of experimental hypertension in the rat by variations in the diet. Circ Res. 1968 Jan;22(1):11–18. doi: 10.1161/01.res.22.1.11. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Dahl L. K., Leitl G., Heine M. Influence of dietary potassium and sodium/potassium molar ratios on the development of salt hypertension. J Exp Med. 1972 Aug 1;136(2):318–330. doi: 10.1084/jem.136.2.318. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Dahl L. K. Salt and hypertension. Am J Clin Nutr. 1972 Feb;25(2):231–244. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/25.2.231. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Doyle A. E., Jerums G. Sodium balance, plasma renin, and aldosterone in hypertension. Circ Res. 1970 Oct;27(Suppl):267+–267+. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Freis E. D. Salt, volume and the prevention of hypertension. Circulation. 1976 Apr;53(4):589–595. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.53.4.589. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Gavras H., Brunner H. B., Vaughan E. D., Laragh J. H. Angiotensin-sodium interaction in blood pressure maintenance of renal hypertensive and normotensive rats. Science. 1973 Jun 29;180(4093):1369–1371. doi: 10.1126/science.180.4093.1369. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Haddy F. J., Overbeck H. W. The role of humoral agents in volume expanded hypertension. Life Sci. 1976 Oct 1;19(7):935–947. doi: 10.1016/0024-3205(76)90284-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Hyperpiesis; high blood-pressure without evident cause: essential hypertension. Br Med J. 1965 Oct 23;2(5468):959–contd. doi: 10.1136/bmj.2.5468.959. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. ISAACSON L. C., MODLIN M., JACKSON W. P. Sodium intake and hypertension. Lancet. 1963 Apr 27;1(7287):946–946. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(63)91717-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Joossens J. V. Salt and hypertension, water hardness and cardiovascular death rate. Triangle. 1973;12(1):9–16. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. KAMINER B., LUTZ W. P. Blood pressure in Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert. Circulation. 1960 Aug;22:289–295. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.22.2.289. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. KOLETSKY S. Hypertensive vascular disease produced by salt. Lab Invest. 1958 Jul-Aug;7(4):377–386. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. MADDOCKS I. Possible absence of essential hypertension in two complete Pacific Island populations. Lancet. 1961 Aug 19;2(7199):396–399. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(61)92482-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. MENEELY G. R., BALL C. O., YOUMANS J. B. Chronic sodium chloride toxicity: the protective effect of added potassium chloride. Ann Intern Med. 1957 Aug;47(2):263–273. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-47-2-263. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. MENEELY G. R., TUCKER R. G., DARBY W. J., AUERBACH S. H. Chronic sodium chloride toxicity in the albino rat. II. Occurrence of hypertension and of a syndrome of edema and renal failure. J Exp Med. 1953 Jul;98(1):71–80. doi: 10.1084/jem.98.1.71. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. MURPHY R. J. F. The effect of "rice diet" on plasma volume and extracellular fluid space in hypertensive subjects. J Clin Invest. 1950 Jul;29(7):912–917. doi: 10.1172/JCI102325. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Maddocks I. Blood pressures in Melanesians. Med J Aust. 1967 Jun 3;1(22):1123–1126. doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1967.tb73930.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Miall W. E., Lovell H. G. Relation between change of blood pressure and age. Br Med J. 1967 Jun 10;2(5553):660–664. doi: 10.1136/bmj.2.5553.660. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. OSTFELD A. M., PAUL O. The inheritance of hypertension. Lancet. 1963 Mar 16;1(7281):575–579. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(63)92688-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Padfield P. L., Brown J. J., Lever A. F., Schalekamp M. A., Beevers D. G., Davies D. L., Robertson J. I., Tree M. Is low-renin hypertension a stage in the development of essential hypertension or a diagnostic entity? Lancet. 1975 Mar 8;1(7906):548–550. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(75)91559-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Page L. B., Damon A., Moellering R. C., Jr Antecedents of cardiovascular disease in six Solomon Islands societies. Circulation. 1974 Jun;49(6):1132–1146. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.49.6.1132. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Prior I. A., Evans J. G., Harvey H. P., Davidson F., Lindsey M. Sodium intake and blood pressure in two Polynesian populations. N Engl J Med. 1968 Sep 5;279(10):515–520. doi: 10.1056/NEJM196809052791004. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. SAPIRSTEIN L. A., BRANDT W. L., DRURY D. R. Production of hypertension in the rat by substituting hypertonic sodium chloride solutions for drinking water. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1950 Jan;73(1):82–85. doi: 10.3181/00379727-73-17583. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. SASAKI N. THE RELATIONSHIP OF SALT INTAKE TO HYPERTENSION IN THE JAPANESE. Geriatrics. 1964 Oct;19:735–744. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. SCOTCH N. A. A preliminary report on the relation of sociocultural factors to hypertension among the Zulu. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1960 Dec 8;84:1000–1009. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1960.tb39132.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Shaper A. G. Cardiovascular disease in the tropics. 3. Blood pressure and hypertension. Br Med J. 1972 Sep 30;3(5830):805–807. doi: 10.1136/bmj.3.5830.805. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. TOUSSAINT C., WOLTER R., SIBILLE P. Effets de l'ingestion de grandes quantités de chlorure de sodium chez le rat. C R Seances Soc Biol Fil. 1953 Oct;147(19-20):1637–1639. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  36. WATKIN D. M., FROEB H. G., HATCH F. T., GUTMAN A. B. Effects of diet in essential hypertension. II. Results with unmodified Kempner rice diet in 50 hospitalized patients. Am J Med. 1950 Oct;9(4):441–493. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(50)90200-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  37. Weinsier R. L. Salt and the development of essential hypertension. Prev Med. 1976 Mar;5(1):7–14. doi: 10.1016/0091-7435(76)90003-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  38. Zinner S. H., Levy P. S., Kass E. H. Familial aggregation of blood pressure in childhood. N Engl J Med. 1971 Feb 25;284(8):401–404. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197102252840801. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Environmental Health Perspectives are provided here courtesy of National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

RESOURCES