Renin angiotensin aldosterone system and adrenergic system in normotensive and hypertensive pregnancy.
We have measured simultaneously plasma renin activity (PRA), aldosterone and catecholamines in the plasma of 3 groups of pregnant women after the 20th week: group 1 of 16 normotensive controls, group II of 17 women with rest responding hypertension (RRH), group III of 18 women with permanent hypertension (PIH). All the patients were ambulatory on a normal salt diet. PRA was significantly higher in the RRH than in the control and PIH groups (15,8 +/- 2,3ng/ml/l versus 6,7 +/- 0,5 and 8,9 +/- 0,9 respectively). Plasma epinephrine (PE) and norepinephrine (PNE) were significantly higher in the PIH than in the control and RRH groups (respectively 135 +/- 28 pg/ml versus 56 +/- 13 and 63 +/- 17 for PE and 387 +/- 91 versus 206 +/- 32 and 200 +/- 47 pg/ml for PNE). In the PIH group there was a negative correlation between PRA and blood uric acid. It is concluded that the adrenic system is activated in PIH whereas the renin angiotensin system is activated in RRH of pregnancy.
D000328:Adult; D000450:Aldosterone / Q000097:blood; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood*; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011249:Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular / Q000097:blood*; D012083:Renin / Q000097:blood; D012084:Renin-Angiotensin System; D014527:Uric Acid / Q000097:blood
D014527:Uric Acid; D000450:Aldosterone; D012083:Renin; D009638:Norepinephrine; D004837:Epinephrine