Spontaneous hypertension in fawn-hooded rats.

By 2 to 3 months of age, many fawn-hooded rats, particularly males, had indirect systolic blood pressures of greater than 145 mm Hg; by 4 months of age, most males had persistent elevations in blood pressure (greater than 160 mm Hg). Female fawn-hooded rats developed hypertension at 4-5 months of age. Concurrently, fawn-hooded rats develop a severe form of focal glomerular sclerosis. The causes of the hypertension and focal glomerular sclerosis are yet not known, nor has a relation been found between these abnormalities.