Renal blood flow in man with essential hypertension.

Abnormalities in renal blood flow in man with sustained essential hypertension are reviewed with emphasis on four points: renal blood flow is decreased not only per unit square meter but also as a fraction of cardiac output, a result which is not observed in other organs, the relationship between cardiac output and renal blood flow is reset, so that restriction of arteriolar renal vessels is dominantly preglomerular in origin, the renal abnormalities may be reversed by alpha-blockade, suggesting an important contribution of the autonomic nervous system, and, finally, the normal sodium balance in steady-state conditions is achieved through adaptive mechanisms involving the venous system and resulting in decreased venous compliance and increased postglomerular and venous hydrostatic pressures.