Salt sensitive hypertension refers to increases in blood pressure as a response to eating increased amounts of sodium, says a study published in the 2000 journal "Progress in Cardiovascular Nursing." In salt sensitive individuals, fluctuations in blood pressure in response to increased or decreased sodium are more dramatic than normal fluctuations. It is important to be aware of this element in individuals with hypertension or high blood pressure, because it can have profound effects on their treatment plan.
Prevalence
Salt sensitivity happens more often than you think. The study in "Progress in Cardiovascular Nursing" says that salt sensitivity occurs in 30 percent of people with normal blood pressure and in more than 50 percent of people with high blood pressure. Salt sensitivity occurs more often in black people, older people and people with kidney insufficiency or diabetes.
Causes of Salt Sensitivity
Causes of salt sensitivity are difficult to pinpoint specifically. However, genetic factors, race, age, body mass and fitness level are all contributors. If someone has high blood pressure, the person is likely to be salt sensitive. The problem in detecting salt sensitive people occurs when there are several risk factors that are known to contribute to hypertension, aside from already being salt sensitive. For example, someone who is overweight or obese has a higher chance of having high blood pressure than someone who is normal weight.
Treatment of Salt Sensitivity
For difficult cases in which blood pressure is difficult to manage, medications may be the best tool to lower blood pressure. The University of Illinois says that salt sensitive hypertension affects 50 million Americans and 1/3 of them are salt sensitive, with the majority of cases among black people. Despite attempts of several therapeutic regimens, success has not been realized in lowering blood pressure. A group of researchers from the University of Illinois attempted to use inhibitors of certain enzymes, in salt sensitive rats to lower blood pressure. Apparently, blood pressure was lowered by 50 percent. A study published in the December 2009 "Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice" journal used a drug called Losartan to lower blood pressure in diabetic rats, which was effective.
Diet and Exercise for Salt Sensitivity
Diet and exercise helps some people with salt sensitivity. Exercise even appears to have a protective effect for high blood pressure. A study published in the May 2006 "Journal of Human Hypertension" studied the effects of people who were salt sensitive. The salt sensitive participants consumed a high-salt diet and then developed high blood pressure. These same people were put on an exercise program for six months in which their blood pressure normalized. After the six months, they consumed a diet high in salt and did not again develop high blood pressure.
References
- "Progress in Cardiovascular Nursing"; Salt Sensitivity and Hypertension in African Americans: Implications for Cardiovascular Nurses; Rosalind Peters, et al.; 2000
- University of Illinois at Chicago: Treatment Method for Salt-Sensitive Hypertension
- "Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice"; Effect of Treatment with Losartan on Salt Sensitivity and SGLT2 Expression in Hypertensive Diabetic Rats; Osorio, et al.; 2009
- "Journal of Human Hypertension"; Exercise Lowers Salt Sensitivity; Gabe Mirkin; 2006
