[Correlations between calciuria and systolic arterial pressure in young normotensive subjects with family history of hypertension].

Many experimental evidences suggest an important role of calcium in the pathophysiology of essential hypertension; an increased calciuria could be a feature of these patients. Provocative tests, such as cold pressor test or aerobic exercise, have been proposed to be predictive for the occurrence of essential hypertension. Aim of this study has been to show a relation between sodium, calcium and potassium urinary excretion and blood pressure response to provocative tests in young normotensives with a positive parental history for essential hypertension. The subjects of the study were 59 young normotensive volunteers, 30 with a positive and 29 with a negative parental history for essential hypertension. All subjects underwent a cold pressor test and a maximal aerobic exercise on a bicycle ergometer; blood pressure and heart rate were recorded before, during and after the tests by means of an automatic device. An overnight urine collection allowed the evaluation of sodium, potassium and calcium excretion. There was no difference between the two groups as to blood pressure response to provocative tests or to urinary electrolyte excretion. Only in subjects with a positive parental history for essential hypertension there was linear correlation between calcium urinary excretion and systolic blood pressure, both baseline and exercise-induced.