[Pathogenesis of essential hypertension--a half of the century perspective]

Over the past 60 years a great progress has been made in our understanding of the pathogenesis of essential hypertension. The contribution of excessive sympathetic nerves activity in the development of hypertension and target organ damage has been demonstrated in experimental and clinical studies. Also the important role of the renin-angiotensin-aldosteron in the pathophysiology of arterial hypertension has been confirmed in many studies. During the last three decades many studies revealed the relationship between low birth weight and arterial hypertension. Sleep disturbances--short sleep duration, insomnia are proposed as a possible pathophysiological factor of hypertension. The novel concept that immune system may play an important role in the pathogenesis of essential hypertension has gained support in recent years. The multifactorial nature of essential hypertension is now widely accepted.