David's grandfather suffers from hypertension. His doctor tells him that part of the problem stems from renal arteriosclerosis. Why would this cause hypertension?
What will be an ideal response?
Renal arteriosclerosis restricts blood flow to the kidneys and produces renal ischemia. Decreased blood flow and ischemia trigger the juxtaglomerular complex to produce more renin, which leads to elevated angiotensin II and aldosterone. Angiotensin II causes vasoconstriction, increased peripheral resistance, and thus increased blood pressure. The aldosterone promotes sodium retention. This leads to more water retained by the body and an increase in blood volume. This, too, contributes to higher blood pressure. Another factor to consider is the release of more erythropoietin in response to tissue hypoxia. The erythropoietin stimulates the formation of red blood cells, which leads to increased blood viscosity and again contributes to the hypertension.
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