[The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and the adrenergic system in normal pregnancy and hypertension induced by pregnancy].

Plasma renin activity (PRA), plasma aldosterone (PA) and plasma catecholamines were measured in 3 groups of women with pregnancy of 20-38 weeks: group I of 16 normotensive controls, group II of 17 women with rest responding hypertension (RRH) and group III of 18 women with permanent hypertension (PH) (supine blood pressure greater than 140-90 mmHg after 8 days of rest, disappearing after delivery). Studies were realized on fasting ambulatory women on a normal salt diet. PRA (mean +/- SEM) was significantly higher in the RRH group than in the control and PH groups (15,8 +/- 2,3 ng/ml/h versus 6,7 +/- 0,5 and 8,9 +/- 0,9). PA was higher but not significantly in the RRH group (736 +/- 122 versus 533 +/- 52 and 502 +/- 103 pg/ml). Plasma epinephrine (PE) and norepinephrine (PNE) were significantly higher in the PH than in the control and RRH groups. 135 +/- 28 pg/nl versus 56 +/- 13 and 63 +/- 17 for PE and 387 +/- 91 versus 206 +/- 32 and 200 +/- 47 pg/ml). These data suggest that PH is linked with activation of the adrenergic system whereas RRH is linked with activation of the RAA system.