title: Elevated plasma immunoreactive leptin levels preexist in healthy offspring of patients with essential hypertension.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Plasma leptin levels and plasma insulin levels have been found to be elevated in patients with essential hypertension (EH) and have been suggested to be components of the metabolic syndrome. Increased heart rate (HR) may predict the development of EH in normal or borderline-hypertensive individuals. The aim of our study was to test the hypothesis that elevated plasma leptin and insulin levels as well as systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and increased resting HR preexist in the healthy offspring of patients with EH.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-six (12 male, 14 female) healthy offspring of hypertensive patients, mean age 16 +/- 2.5 years and body mass index (BMI) of 21.5 +/- 2.8 kg/m(2) (group A), and 30 (14 male, 16 female) healthy offspring of normotensive patients, mean age 17 +/- 2.3 years and BMI of 21.9 +/- 2.4 kg/m(2) (group B), were studied. (The two groups were matched for sex, age, and BMI). Mean SBP, DBP, resting HR, plasma leptin, and plasma insulin levels (radioimmunoassay method) were determined in the whole study population. Mean SBP, DBP, and resting HR were significantly higher in group A than in group B (120 +/- 12 vs 112 +/- 9.5 mm Hg, 77 +/- 9 vs 72 +/- 7 mm Hg, 79 +/- 8 vs 75 +/- 5 beats/min, P <.01, P <.05, and P <.05, respectively). Plasma leptin and insulin levels were significantly higher in group A than in group B (9 +/- 5.06 vs 5.6 +/- 2.5 ng/mL and 20.11 +/- 11.3 vs 14.8 +/- 5.2 microIU/mL, P <.01 and P <.05, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings support the hypothesis that hyperleptinemia, hyperinsulinemia, and elevated blood pressure and resting HR preexist in the healthy offspring of patients with EH.
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Department, Laikon General Hospital, Athens, Greece. y
authors.forename: T K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Makris
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Stavroulakis
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Krespi
authors.forename: A N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Hatzizacharias
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Kyriaki
authors.forename: E V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Chronakis
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Anastasiadis
authors.forename: F K
authors.initials: FK
authors.lastname: Triposkiadis
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Kyriakidis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001794:Blood Pressure; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D006946:Hyperinsulinism / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D011863:Radioimmunoassay
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D007328:Insulin; D020738:Leptin