title: Effects of diuretic therapy in low-, normal- and high-renin isolated systolic systemic hypertension.
abstract: In 30 patients with isolated systolic systemic hypertension, diuretic therapy decreased body weight from 71.33 +/- 2.67 to 70.37 +/- 2.65 kg (p less than 0.0005) and the systolic blood pressure from 174 +/- 3 to 156 +/- 3 mm Hg (p less than 0.0005). Diastolic blood pressure and heart rate did not change significantly. Plasma renin activity increased from 2.25 +/- 0.33 to 4.27 +/- 0.43 ng/ml/hour (p less than 0.0005) and urinary aldosterone from 9 +/- 1 to 16 +/- 2 micrograms/24 hours (p less than 0.005). The antihypertensive effect of diuretics was significantly related only to the pretreatment plasma renin activity (r = -0.50, n = 30, p less than 0.05), and therefore the greatest decrease in systolic blood pressure occurred in the low-renin group, whereas the smallest occurred in the high-renin group (-22 +/- 2 vs -3 +/- 9 mm Hg, p less than 0.005). The diastolic blood pressure was significantly decreased only in the low-renin group (-7 +/- 2 mm Hg, p less than 0.005). There were no significant changes in blood pressure in 11 untreated control patients. These results indicate that diuretics are effective antihypertensive agents in most patients with low- and normal-renin isolated systolic systemic hypertension.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000450:Aldosterone / Q000652:urine; D004232:Diuretics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012083:Renin / Q000097:blood*; D012964:Sodium / Q000652:urine
chemical_list: D004232:Diuretics; D000450:Aldosterone; D012964:Sodium; D012083:Renin