The relationship between plasma renin activity and serum lipid profiles in patients with primary arterial hypertension.

INTRODUCTION

: The aim of the study was to evaluate clinical and biochemical differences between patients with low-renin and high-renin primary arterial hypertension (AH), mainly in reference to serum lipids, and to identify factors determining lipid concentrations.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

: In untreated patients with AH stage 1 we measured plasma renin activity (PRA) and subdivided the group into low-renin (PRA < 0.65 ng/mL/h) and high-renin (PRA ⩾ 0.65 ng/mL/h) AH. We compared office and 24-h ambulatory blood pressure, serum aldosterone, lipids and selected biochemical parameters between subgroups. Factors determining lipid concentration in both subgroups were assessed in regression analysis.

RESULTS

: Patients with high-renin hypertension ( N = 58) were characterized by higher heart rate ( p = 0.04), lower serum sodium ( p < 0.01) and aldosterone-to-renin ratio ( p < 0.01), and significantly higher serum aldosterone ( p = 0.03), albumin ( p < 0.01), total protein ( p < 0.01), total cholesterol ( p = 0.01) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) ( p = 0.04) than low-renin subjects ( N = 39). In univariate linear regression, only PRA in the low-renin group was in a positive relationship with LDL-C ( R = 0.15, β = 1.53 and p = 0.013); this association remained significant after adjustment for age, sex, and serum albumin and aldosterone concentrations.

CONCLUSIONS

: Higher serum levels of total and LDL-C characterized high-renin subjects, but the association between LDL-C level and PRA existed only in low-renin primary AH.