Basal and stimulated plasma atrial natriuretic factor in type 2 diabetes.

Subjects with Type 2 diabetes have been reported to have elevated total exchangeable sodium when compared with normal subjects. Sodium retention may contribute to the development of hypertension in these subjects. Atrial natriuretic factor may play a role in sodium and blood pressure homeostasis in Type 2 diabetes. We have studied plasma atrial natriuretic factor in 17 subjects with Type 2 diabetes (9M:8F; aged 49 +/- 2 years) (mean +/- SE) and in 17 age- (49 +/- 2 years) and sex-matched controls. Mean fasting blood sugar was 8.3 +/- 0.6 mmol l-1 in the diabetic subjects. After fasting from 2200h, subjects remained upright from 0745h until 0945h when blood was taken for plasma atrial natriuretic factor, plasma renin activity and serum aldosterone. Two litres of 0.15 mmol l-1 NaCl was infused intravenously between 1000h and 1400h while the subjects remained supine. Blood was taken hourly. At 0945h plasma atrial natriuretic factor was 3.8 +/- 0.4 pmol l-1 in diabetic subjects and 6.1 +/- 1.6 pmol l-1 in controls (NS), at 1000h after 15 mins supine 3.5 +/- 0.3 and 7.9 +/- 2.3 pmol l-1 respectively (p < 0.05) and increased to 9.4 +/- 1.5 and 9.4 +/- 1.2 pmol l-1 in diabetic subjects and controls at 1400h (NS; both p < 0.01 vs basal values). Serum aldosterone, plasma renin activity, blood pressure and urinary sodium output for 12h before, 4h during and 8h after the NaCl infusion were not different between groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)