title: Insulin resistance as cause of increased blood pressure in the elderly: effects on intracellular ion contents.
abstract: Previous reports have evidenced a strong relationship between high plasma insulin levels and blood pressure in diabetic and obese subjects but not in the elderly. During aging many patho-physiological changes in cardiovascular functions and autonomic nervous system occur, so that aging per se might be a cause of a 'physiological' increase in blood pressure. Nevertheless, an insulin resistance also develops during aging. The present study investigates the possible role of age-dependent insulin resistance in the genesis of increased blood pressure. Our data show that insulin resistance calculated by the glucose infusion rate during a euglycemic hyperinsulinemic glucose clamp procedure is significantly correlated with the insulin-mediated net decrease in erythrocyte Na+ content (r = 0.58, P < 0.05), as well as with net increase in erythrocyte K+ (r = 0.64, P < 0.05) and Mg2+ (r = 0.67, P < 0.01) content and to basal diastolic blood pressure (r = -0.63, P < 0.05). We conclude that in elderly subjects the age-related and normally occurring insulin resistance might contribute to the increase of arterial blood pressure through its effect on cell cation content.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Gerontologia e Geriatria, Terapia Medica e Malattie del Metabolismo, 1st Medical School, Piazza Miraglia 2, 80138 Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Paolisso
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Marrazzo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: De Riu
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sgambato
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Varricchio
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: D'Onofrio