title: Urinary kallikrein excretion and plasma renin activity in patients with essential hypertension and primary aldosteronism.
abstract: 1. The 24 h urinary excretion of kallikrein has been studied in 40 normotensive control subjects and in 74 age-matched patients with essential hypertension under similar conditions. By use of the renin-sodium index, hypertensive patients were divided into two subgroup: low-renin hypertension and normal-renin hypertension patients. Urinary kallikrein determinations were also obtained from six hypertensive patients with primary aldosteronism. 2. Urinary kallikrein was significantly lower both in patients with normal-renin and low-renin essential hypertension. Urinary kallikrein excretion was very high in the patients with primary aldosteronism. 3. In nine hypertensive patients beta-adreno-receptor-blocking therapy caused a significant decrease of plasma renin activity, but had no significant effect on urinary kallikrein excretion. 4. The results support the concept that low urinary kallikrein is likely to be a marker of essential hypertension. Under certain conditions its excretion is positively related to mineralocorticoid hormone concentrations but it is not primarily related to the renin-angiotensin system.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006929:Hyperaldosteronism / Q000201:enzymology*; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000201:enzymology*; D007610:Kallikreins / Q000652:urine*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011433:Propranolol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012083:Renin / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D011433:Propranolol; D007610:Kallikreins; D012083:Renin