Electrolytes and spontaneous genetic hypertension in rats

Electrolytes are involved to a greater or lesser extent in the hypertension of probably all the inbred strains but it is difficult to sort out whether the involvement is primary or secondary and the detected abnormalities differ in the various strains. The fundamental faults are still elusive, except perhaps in the Dahl salt-sensitive rats, which appear to have a form of mineralocorticoid hypertension. Sodium and calcium appear to be the electrolytes most closely implicated in the pathogenesis of hypertension but potassium, magnesium and chloride should not be neglected. More data are needed. Knowledge gained from rat studies is useful in the context of both basic physiology and human hypertension.