Role of the adrenal glands in the development of severe hypertension.

It has been previously shown that angiotensin II is involved in the pathogenesis of severe hypertension resulting from ligation of the aorta between the origins of the renal arteries. To see if part of the effect of the angiotensin II was due to the stimulation of mineralocorticoid secretion, blood pressure and plasma renin activity were studied after ligation of the aorta in adrenalectomized rats receiving maintenance doses of steroids. Rats subjected to adrenalectomy and aortic coarctation developed hypertension as severe as that in rats with intact adrenal glands. Thus, an increase in the secretory rate of adrenal hormones is not a pathogenetic factor in the development of severe hypertension after aortic coarctation.