title: Biochemical predictors of hypertension. Utility in prevention and treatment.
abstract: Several biochemical markers have been reported to be useful in the investigation of patients with hypertension. These markers can be divided into three broad categories: those related to sodium homeostasis (eg, renin, converting enzyme, aldosterone, and the kallikrein-kinin system); those related to sodium homeostasis and vascular reactivity (eg, cytosolic calcium, sodium transporters, insulin resistance, and nonmodulation); those related to vascular reactivity (eg, catecholamines). These biochemical factors may be useful in defining which treatment modality to use, in increasing our understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease, and in evaluating end-organ damage and/or familial risk. Further information, however, is required before one can verify these hypotheses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115.
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests