Studies have found that cardiovascular diseases caused by salt addiction remain high, and each year, salt addiction causes hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases, which can lead to more than 100,000 deaths. For this reason, the theme of this year’s World Hypertension is salt and hypertension: two silent killers. One of the important factors causing hypertension is eating too much salt, especially for people who are particularly sensitive to salt (sodium chloride), and a high salt diet will cause their blood pressure to increase significantly; and after strictly limiting salt intake, blood pressure will then drop, and this hypertension is called salt-sensitive hypertension. This type of hypertension is called salt-sensitive hypertension. 15% to 42% of adults in the normal population may belong to this type; and among diagnosed hypertensive patients, salt-sensitive hypertension accounts for 28% to 74%, (60% of hypertensive patients are salt-sensitive) and its incidence varies significantly by region, race and age, with the north of China being far more common than the south, and the elderly being more susceptible. Why is salt an important factor in the development of hypertension? The human body has a low physiological need for sodium, and 1-2 grams of salt per day for adults is sufficient to meet physiological needs. If the human body consumes too much salt, it will cause water and sodium retention in the body, resulting in swelling of vascular smooth muscle, thinning of the lumen, and increased vascular resistance. At the same time, blood volume increases, increasing the burden on the heart and kidneys and further increasing blood pressure. Salt-sensitive individuals entering a high-salt diet will increase proteinuria and glomerular damage, which leads to hypertension. Salt is a determinant of left ventricular hypertrophy, which is the greatest risk factor for cardiovascular disease prevalence and morbidity and mortality. Long-term hypertension can cause left ventricular hypertrophy and enlargement, eventually leading to congestive heart failure and promoting the formation and development of coronary atherosclerosis, which increases myocardial oxygen consumption and can lead to angina pectoris, myocardial infarction and even sudden death. In addition, long-term hypertension can lead to the formation of microaneurysms in small arteries, which can cause rupture and cerebral hemorrhage when blood pressure rises suddenly, and hypertension also promotes the development of cerebral atherosclerosis, which can cause transient cerebral ischemic attacks and cerebral artery thrombosis. Salt-sensitive hypertension has the following characteristics: 1. It is very closely related to excessive salt consumption, and sodium chloride is an environmental factor in its development. 2. The patient’s blood pressure rarely fluctuates within 24 hours. Generally hypertensive patients’ blood pressure is at least 10% lower at midnight than during the day, while salt-sensitive hypertension patients’ blood pressure is maintained at almost the same high level between day and night. So their heart, brain and kidneys and other important target organs will be damaged by sustained hypertension, more likely to cause ventricular hypertrophy, heart failure, renal insufficiency, the late occurrence of uremia and stroke and other serious consequences. 3, patients due to insulin resistance, often complicated by diabetes and dyslipidemia and other metabolic diseases, and ultimately promote arterial atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. 4, the incidence of salt-sensitive hypertension increases with age, and the condition gradually worsens, the elderly should be particularly vigilant. The prevention and treatment of salt-sensitive hypertension should be targeted, and the key measure is to strictly limit salt and change the bad habits of high salt diet. The average salt intake of our population is much higher than that of other countries, especially in the northern regions where the daily salt intake per capita reaches 12-22 grams, which is several times the daily salt intake of 6 grams recommended by the World Health Organization. Coupled with the increase in alcohol consumption and obesity in China, hypertension is more likely to occur. For patients who already have hypertension, it is also beneficial to limit salt. It has been proven that in the early stages of hypertension or in patients with mild hypertension, salt restriction alone may bring blood pressure back to normal. For patients with moderate or severe hypertension, limiting salt intake not only improves the efficacy of other antihypertensive drugs, but also reduces the dose of antihypertensive drugs, which can greatly reduce the side effects of antihypertensive drugs and drug costs. Therefore, salt restriction is beneficial both from the perspective of preventing hypertension and treating patients with hypertension. Therefore, we caution those who have a long-term high-salt diet to recognize the dangers of a high-salt diet and to reduce salt intake as soon as possible. Each person should not exceed 6 grams of salt per day, and people with high intake can first reduce it to less than 10 grams. If you find that your blood pressure exceeds the normal value, you should first control your salt intake from your diet, and if it still does not drop to normal, you should go to the hospital for timely consultation and be given antihypertensive medication by a specialist.