title: High circulating levels of endogenous ouabain in the offspring of hypertensive and normotensive individuals.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Impaired diastolic function and left ventricular hypertrophy can occur early in the natural history of essential hypertension. High circulating levels of endogenous ouabain (EO) have been described in essential hypertension and have also been associated with left ventricular hypertrophy. The aim of this study was to investigate whether these cardiac modifications are related to plasma EO levels in the offspring of hypertensive families.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study involved 41 subjects with (FAM+) and 45 subjects without (FAM-) a family history of hypertension. Arterial blood pressure, left ventricular geometry and function, and plasma EO levels were measured in each subject.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Plasma EO levels were higher in the FAM+ subjects (221.5 +/- 10.95 versus 179.6 +/- 9.58 pmol/l, P = 0.004), and directly correlated with both systolic (r = 0.417, P < 0.0001) and diastolic blood pressure (r = 0.333, P = 0.002). Plasma EO was inversely related to an index of cardiac diastolic function determined as the ratio between the early and late peak flow velocity (r = -0.286, P = 0.012) and isovolumetric relaxation time (IVRT) (r = 0.32, P = 0.003). The IVRT was also significantly higher in FAM+, correlated with the IVRT (r = 0.32, P = 0.003). The IVRT was also significantly higher in FAM+, whereas the other echocardiographic parameters were similar to FAM-.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among the offspring of families with a positive history of hypertension, circulating EO levels and blood pressure are increased. Plasma EO levels are related to alterations of some indexes of diastolic heart function in these individuals.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology, Dialysis and Hypertension, University Vita e Salute San Raffaele Hospital, Via Olgettina 60, 20132 Milan, Italy. manunta.paolo@hsr.it
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Manunta
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iacoviello
authors.forename: Cinzia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Forleo
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Messaggio
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Hamlyn
authors.forename: Katia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lucarelli
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Guida
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Romito
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: De Tommasi
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bianchi
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rizzon
authors.forename: Maria Vittoria
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Pitzalis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood*; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D010042:Ouabain / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D010042:Ouabain