Plasma renin activity, blood pressure and sodium excretion during treatment with clonidine.
Clonidine, 225 mug a day, has been given orally for 3 months to 15 patients with essential hypertension. Mean BP was reduced from 159/107 to 143/87 mmHg. The antihypertensive effect of the drug was dissociated from changes in plasma renin activity (PRA) during clonidine treatment. PRA levels decreased initially in 6 patients with the highest PRA values before treatment, but then increased again. In 6 patients with lower pretreatment PRA levels, PRA rose continuously. Opposite patterns of 24-hour urinary sodium excretion were observed in these arbitrary subgroups. The antihypertensive effect of clonidine in essential hypertension appears to be independent of changes in PRA.
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects*; D003000:Clonidine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D003864:Depression, Chemical; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009318:Natriuresis / Q000187:drug effects*; D011188:Potassium / Q000652:urine; D012083:Renin / Q000097:blood*; D012964:Sodium / Q000652:urine; D013268:Stimulation, Chemical
D012964:Sodium; D003404:Creatinine; D012083:Renin; D003000:Clonidine; D011188:Potassium