Plasma concentration of urotensin II is raised in hypertension.
OBJECTIVE
Urotensin II is the most potent vasoconstrictor known. Its role in hypertension has not been investigated. Here, we studied the plasma levels in hypertensive and normotensive human subjects.


METHODS
A cross-sectional case-control study.


METHODS
Hypertension clinic and research clinic of a university teaching hospital.


METHODS
Sixty-two hypertensive outpatient subjects (52% male, aged 57 +/- 13 years) and 62 normotensive controls (45% male, aged 54 +/- 13 years) recruited from the general population.


METHODS
Plasma urotensin II levels measured by radioimmunoassay, systolic and diastolic blood pressure.


RESULTS
Plasma urotensin II was 8.8 +/- 0.9 pmol/l in normotensive controls and 13.6 +/- 1.4 pmol/l in hypertensive subjects (P = 0.005). In multiple regression analysis, systolic blood pressure was related to plasma urotensin II (beta = 0.31, P < 0.001) and age (beta = 0.28, P = 0.001), accounting for 10 and 8%, respectively, of the variance in systolic blood pressure. There was no significant correlation with gender, renal function or diabetes.


CONCLUSIONS
Plasma urotensin II was raised in hypertensive patients compared to normotensive controls, and was directly related to systolic blood pressure. Our findings raise the possibility that urotensin II may have an aetiological role in hypertension and its complications.
Cheung
Bernard M Y
BM
University Department of Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam, Hong Kong. mycheung@hkucc.hku.hk
Leung
Raymond
R
Man
Yu Bun
YB
Wong
Louisa Y F
LY
D000368:Aged; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001794:Blood Pressure; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014579:Urotensins / Q000097:blood*
D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D014579:Urotensins; C029677:urotensin II