Plasma levels of atrial natriuretic peptide in patients with borderline and essential hypertension.

Abstract

Plasma levels of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) were measured in outpatients with borderline hypertension (n = 15) and essential hypertension (n = 13) and in normotensive subject (n = 11). There were no significant differences among the three groups in age, serum protein, albumin, or electrolyte levels, plasma renin activity (PRA), or plasma concentrations of aldosterone and cortisol. The plasma ANP levels in the normotensive, borderline, hypertensive, and essential hypertensive subjects were 36 .+-. 6 pg/ml (mean .+-. S.E.), 64 .+-. 11 pg/ml, and 82 .+-. 14 pg/ml, respectively. The levels in the essential hypertensive subjects were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than those in the normotensives. In both borderline and essential hypertensives (n = 28), and plasma ANP levels were significantly correlated positively with systolic blood pressure (r = +0.385, p < 0.05), and negatively with PRA (r = -0.484, p < 0.05) and serum total calcium (r = -0.516, p < 0.01). These results suggest that the elevation of circulating ANP in hypertensives is involved in the pathogenesis of hypertension.