The interconnection between sympathetics, microcirculation, and insulin resistance in hypertension

The pathophysiology of the frequent association of insulin resistance and hypertension has not been elucidated. The skeletal muscle is the major site of insulin resistance; when stimulated with insulin, the hypertensive skeletal muscles extract less glucose than the normotensive. We postulate that hypertension-related changes in the skeletal muscle microcirculation contribute to the impaired glucose uptake in hypertension. Vascular rarefaction in hypertension impairs the delivery of insulin and glucose to muscle cells. Insulin resistance has been described both in human and experimental hypertension and both conditions are associated with vascular rarefaction. Functional studies (response to whole body or forearm exercise) and anatomic investigations (conjunctival photography, mesenteric and muscle biopsies) show vascular rarefaction in human hypertension. In addition, patients with hypertension are known to have a larger proportion of insulin resistant, poorly vascularized fast twitch muscle fibers. A few interventions can increase or decrease insulin resistance and these effects can be explained on hemodynamic grounds. Beta adrenergic blocking agents aggravate insulin resistance, and their main hemodynamic effect is a decrease of cardiac output. Converting enzyme inhibitors, alpha adrenergic blocking agents and possibly calcium antagonists decrease the insulin resistance, and their major hemodynamic effect is vasodilation. Physical training decreases insulin resistance; a higher capillary density in skeletal muscles is the hallmark of physical training. A hypothesis ought to rest on sufficient supporting data and its validity ought to lend itself to experimental verification. We believe our hypothesis meets both criteria. After outlining the supporting evidence we propose a number of tests to prove or disprove the hypothesis. In addition to the testable hypothesis we also speculate on the possible cause of the frequent association between hypertension and insulin resistance. We propose that both insulin resistance and blood pressure elevation represent a facet of the "defense reaction" which might have offered an early survival advantage and may, over evolutionary times, have fostered natural selection of subjects with both conditions.