title: Elevated sodium-lithium countertransport: a familial marker of hyperlipidaemia and hypertension?
abstract: Erythrocyte sodium-lithium countertransport was measured in normolipidaemic and hyperlipidaemic hypertensive patients, hyperlipidaemic normotensive patients and normal controls. Hypertension and hyperlipidaemia were each independently associated with raised sodium-lithium countertransport (by analysis of variance, P less than 0.01 and P less than 0.01). The effects were additive so that hyperlipidaemia could not explain raised sodium-lithium countertransport in hypertension. In hyperlipidaemic hypertensive patients, levels of plasma cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol were increased, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol was reduced. Of these patients, 73.3% had a known family history of hypertension. Their normotensive first degree relatives were studied, and 48% of these also had raised sodium-lithium countertransport and abnormal plasma lipids (raised cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL cholesterol, and reduced HDL cholesterol). Relatives with normal sodium-lithium countertransport had normal lipids. Therefore, raised sodium-lithium countertransport was associated with the inheritance of both hypertension and hyperlipidaemia, and this could explain why raised sodium-lithium countertransport has been associated with a family history of both hypertension and associated cardiovascular disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK.
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Carr
authors.forename: T H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Laker
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
mesh_terms: D017920:Antiporters; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000097:blood; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D008094:Lithium / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012964:Sodium / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D017920:Antiporters; D002352:Carrier Proteins; C045885:sodium-lithium countertransporter; D002784:Cholesterol; D008094:Lithium; D012964:Sodium