Is lead exposure the principal cause of essential hypertension?
Lead is a ubiquitous toxin, known to have adverse effects on the body even at low levels of exposure. In this review we explore whether low lead may be the principal or a major contributory cause of essential hypertension, and whether removal of lead from the environment may eventually reduce both the overall incidence of hypertension and the increased incidence with aging.
Nephrology Division, The Burns and Allen Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles 90048, USA. hgonick@ucla.edu
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Gonick
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Behari
D000818:Animals; D002395:Catecholamines / Q000502:physiology; D002614:Chelating Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015913:Chelation Therapy; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology; D005007:Ethnology; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D015994:Incidence; D007630:Kenya / Q000453:epidemiology; D007854:Lead / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology; D008452:Maximum Allowable Concentration; D008954:Models, Biological; D011453:Prostaglandins / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D020303:Rats, Inbred Dahl; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D012084:Renin-Angiotensin System / Q000502:physiology; D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary / Q000009:adverse effects; D000254:Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014666:Vasomotor System / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D014687:Venezuela / Q000453:epidemiology
D002395:Catecholamines; D002614:Chelating Agents; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D011453:Prostaglandins; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary; D007854:Lead; D000254:Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase