Whole body elemental composition in patients with essential hypertension.

The whole body content of sodium, chlorine and potassium has been measured in 30 patients with essential hypertension, using the techniques of in vivo neutron activation analysis and whole body counting. Total exchangeable sodium and potassium were also measured, and found to be well correlated with the total body amounts of these elements. Comparable measurements on normotensive subjects could not be obtained, but results for both elements were similar to those expected on the basis of published values for healthy normal body composition. Similarly, no abnormality was found in the average body content of the other major elements (chlorine, calcium, phosphorus and nitrogen). We therefore have no evidence that essential hypertension is associated with any abnormality in the mean body content of these elements. However, there was some evidence of a relationship between body sodium and blood pressure in this study group.