Cardiovascular Disease ( Cvd ) Is A Global Pandemic

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a global pandemic. Whereas CVD was once a relatively minor disease, it has matured into the killer responsible for 30% of global deaths each year1. Although its prevalence is high and its manifestation assumes the forms of numerous diseases, many of those who suffer from CVD share a commonality: high blood pressure2. By increasing the chances of stroke, congestive heart disease, and heart failure, hypertension is a major risk factor of CVD. As of the year 2000, one billion of the world’s population had hypertension, with the number expected to rise to 1.56 billion by 20251. While countries still undergoing economic development have the highest prevalence of hypertension, the Western world suffers from it as†¦show more content†¦Salt Sensitivity Hypertension exists in various forms such as secondary, resistant, and pseudo-resistant. Whereas the pathogeneses of pseudo-resistant and secondary hypertension are known and treatable, the cause s of resistant hypertension remain elusive, making it the most troublesome of the three5. Resistant (also known as idiopathic or essential) hypertension is a blood pressure exceeding 140/90 mm Hg that refuses to drop despite being treated with three or more drugs (one of which is a diuretic) at maximum doses. Obesity, increasing age, and kidney disease are suspected of contributing to resistant hypertension, but the exact mechanisms remain unclear6. Peaking the curiosity of researchers is that the most common factor in those with resistant hypertension is excessive salt consumption5, leading to studies of how salt intake affects blood pressure. When experimenting on single individuals, researchers found a correlation between salt intake and blood pressure. But when they tested this correlation in large populations, it diminished7. To account for this discrepancy the theory of salt sensitivity was developed. For some individuals an increase in salt intake raises their blood pressure, but for others the excess salt exerts marginal effects on pressure. The former were dubbed salt-sensitive (SS) and the latter salt-resistant (SR)8. The Pressure-Natriuresis Curve To understand salt sensitivity one must first understand sodium balance in an