The aim of the present study is to examine the relationship between blood pressure, leptin and plasma renin activity in normotensive healthy volunteers and in lean non-diabetic patients with essential hypertension.
Our work was carried out on 80 subjects classified into 2 groups. Group 1 included 50 lean nondiabetic
patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension (age: 38.5+ 1.8 years, BMI: 21.7+ 2.5 kg/
m2, male/female: 25/25). Group II included 30 lean normotensive healthy subjects (age: 39.4+ 2.2 years,
BMI: 21.9+ 2.5 kg/m2, male/female:15/15). Both groups were properly matched for age, sex and BMI.
After the blood pressure measurements, blood samples were collected for the assessment of leptin, renin
activity, glucose and creatinine. No significant differences in age, BMI, plasma glucose
and serum creatinine were dete cted between group 1 and group 11 subjects. Howevere, blood pressure
(systolic and diastolic), plasma leptin levels and plasma renin activity (PRA) were significantly higher
in group I patients than in group 11 subjects (p<0.05). Blood pressure, age, BMI, serum creatinine and PRA
Introduction and Aim of the Work Leptin, the 16 KD protein produced by the obese gene,
is known to regulate body weight and adipose tissue mass through a feed back mechanism (1).
Plasma leptin levels have been found to be elevated in Internal medicine, cardiology and clinical pathology departments. Benha faculty of medicine. Zagazig university. Manuscript received 10 Dec. 2000; revised manuscript received 12 Dec. 2000; accepted 15 Jan. 2001. Address For Correspondence: Dr. Ahmed Saleh, 15, Dr. Hussein Kernel St, El-Nozha Heliopolis. Depot. 8. TeL: 6376481. Mobile; 0123814172. did not differ significantly between males and females whether normo or hypertensive. However, plasma leptin levels were significantly higher in normotensive
and hypertensive females than in normotensive and hypertensive males. Plasma leptin levels were significantly
correlated with blood pressure, BMI and PRA in both groups and in both sexes. Furthermore PRA was significantly correlated with BMI in both groups and in both sexes. These findings support the notion that plasma leptin levels and PRA are related to the adipose mass in normotensive and hypertensive lean subjects. Also, we can conclude that leptin may be involved in blood pressure regulation in both normotensive and hypertensive subjects, and this regulation is possibly mediated via the significant positive correlation between plasma leptin levels and PRA. |
