Angiogenesis and hypertension

Background The formation of new blood vessels is an important process in em bryonic development and in physiological repair processes, Abnormalities in blood vessel growth have been associated with various pathologies. Hypertension and impaired vascular growth The basic observation underlying the hypothesis that essential hypertension is based on an impaired capacity for vascular growth is the nature of the structural alterations of microva scular beds in essential hypertension. Recent advances in understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms of vascular growth suggest that the remo deling of individual vessels and vascular networks in hypertension may be a pathological variant of the formation of mature networks. Pathogenesis of impaired vascular growth Genetic and fetal influences appea r to have significant effects in determining impaired vascular development as an early cause of essential hypertension. J Hypertens 1998, 16:1563-1572 (C) Lippincott WiIliams & Wilkins.