[Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in hypertension patients who have had a cerebral stroke].

The study of the renin activity and aldosterone concentrations in the blood plasma has revealed activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) in patients with stage III essential hypertension and a history of 1-3-year-old cerebral stroke. Middle-aged patients demonstrated high activity of renin and high levels of aldosterone whereas elderly patients presented a moderate rise in renin activity and elevated aldosterone levels. The data obtained indicate a decrease in the endocrine function of the kidneys in elderly hypertensive patients with a history of cerebral stroke. The authors revealed a considerable hypersecretion of aldosterone in the presence of a moderate elevation of plasma renin activity in patients with the cerebral form of stage II essential hypertension at the height of the crisis. It is suggested that aldosterone hypersecretion in elderly patients with stage III essential hypertension and residual manifestations of cerebral circulation impairment is pathogenetically important.