[Arterial hypertension and obesity]. / Hypertension artérielle et obésité.

Overweight and arterial hypertension have been found to be associated in most studies in diverse populations. Several possible mechanisms for this association have been proposed: hemodynamic modifications, glucose and lipid metabolism alterations, hyperinsulinemia, neuroendocrine abnormalities. However, it seems difficult to explain the relation obesity-hypertension by a single mechanism. The search for a physiopathological explanation including the diverse abnormalities found in obese hypertensive subjects must go on.