Humoral and cellular immunological abnormalities in hypertensive patients.

A high frequency of immunological disturbances were recorded in 19 mild and 23 malignant hypertensive patients. IgG levels were raised in patients who survived a malignant phase of hypertension. We also found increased frequency of autoantibodies (26% vs. 9% in controls), increased T-lymphocyte reactivity against arterial-wall antigens (p = 0.001), a significant frequency of low responders to PHA (p = 0.003), and a statistically significant correlation (p = 0.031) between the presence of autoantibodies and T-cell hyper-reactivity against arterial antigens in mild hypertensive patients. We suggest that these abnormalities might be relevant in the pathogenesis of some hypertensive conditions. Autoantibody production is likely to be correlated with a predisposition to hypertension through some autoimmune mechanisms.