Hypertension and hyperinsulinemia

Hypertension may be either accentuated or caused by hyperinsulinemia secondary to insulin resistance. The role of hyperinsulinemia has been most clearly defined in those people with upper body obesity who frequently have hypertension, abnormal glucose tolerance, and dyslipidemia. Less well understood but repeatedly demonstrated, insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia are also seen in normal-weight hypertensive patients. The implications of these findings are important to recognize, both in an attempt to understand the pathogenesis of hypertension and in hopes of treating it most appropriately.