[Obesity and arterial hypertension]

Obesity constitutes an important problem of public health in developed countries because of its high prevalence (affecting nearly one third of the population) and the reduction of life expectancy in this population. Every day new physiopathologic implications are discovered concerning obesity and other cardiovascular risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension and dyslipemia. We present the mechanisms that explain the physiopathology of obesity from the point of view of hemodynamic modifications, neurohormonal alterations (sympathetic nervous system, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, vasopressin, endothelin), and alterations in the glucidic metabolism (insulin-resistance and hyperinsulinism), the lipidic metabolism and the endothelium. The treatment of obese hypertensive patients is based on two principles: the correction of overweight and the treatment of hypertension, bearing ind mind the peculiarities in these patients.