Pathogenesis and clinical physiology of hypertension.

Although the definitive cause of primary hypertension remains unknown, its pathogenesis and clinical history are relatively well understood. Genes, environment, and their interaction play crucial roles in the development of hypertension. Elevated blood pressure levels are maintained through alterations in multiple BP regulatory systems including the central and peripheral nervous system, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, renal mechanisms, structural and functional changes in the vascular wall and endothelium, and multiple feedback loops involving a wide spectrum of receptors and.