[Insulin, as a regulating factor of blood pressure]

In patients with hypertension, insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia are more prevalent than in normal individuals. Furthermore, the prevalence of hypertension in diabetic patients is higher than in nondiabetic individuals. Insulin resistance has been implicated in the common mechanisms underlying diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and obesity. A number of mechanisms have been proposed to account for the elevation of BP secondary to hyperinsulinemia, such as 1) increased tubular reabsorption of sodium ions, 2) increased intracellular sodium and calcium ions, 3) increased sympathetic nervous activity, and 4) proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells. Moreover, hypertension was reported to be a possible cause of insulin resistance. The detailed mechanism of insulin leading hypertension are still under investigation.