Traditionally, arterial hypertension and subsequent end-organ damage have been attributed
to hemodynamic factors, but increasing evidence indicates that inflammation also
contributes to the deleterious consequences of this disease. The immune system has
evolved to prevent invasion of foreign organisms and to promote tissue healing after injury.
However, this beneficial activity comes at a cost of collateral damage when the immune
system overreacts to internal injury, such as prehypertension. Renal inflammation results in …