Abstract
Background
To study the correlation between blood pressure variability (BPV) and plasma renin activity (PRA), angiotensin II (AngII), aldosterone levels in patients with essential hypertension.
Methods
A total of 300 patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension were analyzed retrospectively. The subjects were divided into 3 age groups: 100 patients aged 18–44 years (young group), 110 patients aged 45–64 years (middle-aged group), and 90 patients aged over 65 years (elderly group). PRA, AngII, and aldosterone levels were assessed. Blood pressure (BP) was measured by 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring. The relationships between BP variability and the PRA, AngII, aldosterone levels were compared among the 3 groups.
Results
Supine and upright PRA and aldosterone levels were significantly higher in the young group than those in the middle-aged and elderly groups. The coefficient of variation (CV) of 24-hour systolic (24hSBPCV), diastolic BP (24hDBPCV), CV of daytime systolic (dSBPCV), diastolic (dDBPCV), and nighttime systolic BP (nSBPCV) in the elderly group was higher than those in the young group and the middle-aged group (all P < 0.05). Spearman correlation analysis showed that in the young and middle-aged groups, BPV was significantly correlated with the levels of PRA, AngII, and aldosterone (all P < 0.05). In the elderly group however, only 24hDBPCV, nDBPCV, and nSBPCV were correlated with AngII and aldosterone levels (all P < 0.05).
Conclusions
BPV is correlated with plasma renin–angiotensin–aldosterone levels in young and middle-aged patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension.
Blood pressure variability and silent cerebral damage in essential hypertension