Relationships of osteoprotegerin with albuminuria and asymmetric dimethylarginine in essential hypertension: integrating vascular dysfunction.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the inter-relationships of osteoprotegerin (OPG) with albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR) and asymmetric dimethylargine (ADMA) in hypertensive patients.

METHODS

In 198 untreated non-diabetic hypertensive patients [130 males, mean age=51.5 years, office blood pressure (BP)=152/98 mmHg] ACR values and OPG and ADMA levels were determined.

RESULTS

Based on the median value of OPG distribution (5.03 pmol/l) patients with high (n=101) compared with those with low OPG values (n=97) had greater 24-h systolic BP (152±5 versus 137±7 mmHg, p<0.0001), ACR [25.3 (5-190) versus 17.3 (5-92) mg/g, p=0.003) and ADMA [0.62 (0.58-0.68) versus 0.57 (0.48-0.62) μmol/l, p=0.001), independently of confounding factors. Multiple regression analyses revealed that ADMA (b=0.388, p<0.0001), 24-h systolic BP (b=0.228, p=0.01) and ACR (b=0.470, p<0.0001) were independent predictors of OPG (R2=0.398, p<0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

In hypertensive patients, high OPG levels are accompanied by pronounced albuminuria and endothelial dysfunction, as reflected by raised ADMA levels. Furthermore, the independent associations of OPG with ACR and ADMA, suggests a link between OPG and the progression of diffuse hypertensive vascular damage.