Comments on 'endpoints in hypertension': Peripheral resistance vessels - Though mainly on their involvement as 'starting-points'

In SHR, and probably often in human primary hypertension as well, the structural-geometric changes in proximal resistance arteries (r(i) decrease combined with w/r(i) increase) seem to occur so early in life, and are already then so pronounced, that they must serve also as major 'starting- points' for this disorder of regulation, besides contributing to late deterioration and 'end-point' situations by increasingly interfering with myocardial, cerebral, renal etc. blood supplies, and hence functions. Furthermore, particularly in early phases of primary hypertension they may have some easily overlooked influences on evaluations of average vascular smooth muscle activity, and of overall haemodynamics as well, which is briefly discussed.