title: Plasma osteopontin levels are higher in patients with primary aldosteronism than in patients with essential hypertension.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The incidence of cardiovascular events is higher in patients with primary aldosteronism (PA) than in patients with essential hypertension (EHT). Aldosterone has been shown to play an important role in the development of vascular inflammation and myocardial fibrosis in animal models. Elevated serum inflammatory cytokine is an independent cardiovascular risk factor in patients with EHT. In the present study, we compared levels of inflammatory cytokines between patients with PA and EHT.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study subjects were 15 patients with PA and 15 age-matched patients with EHT. Serum interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), high sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP), and plasma osteopontin (OPN) levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) did not differ between the PA and EHT patient groups. Levels of serum IL-6 (P = .563), TNF-alpha (P = .480), and hsCRP (P = .870) did not differ between the two groups. In contrast, plasma OPN levels in patients with PA were significantly higher than those in patients with EHT (P < .0001). There was no relationship between BP and plasma OPN levels in patients with PA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study showed that plasma OPN levels were higher in patients with PA than in patients with EHT.
authors.affiliation: The Second Department of Internal Medicine, Ehime University School of Medicine, Shitsukawa, Toon City, Ehime, Japan.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Irita
authors.forename: Takafumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okura
authors.forename: Seiko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Manabe
authors.forename: Mie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kurata
authors.forename: Ken-Ichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miyoshi
authors.forename: Sanae
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Tomikazu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukuoka
authors.forename: Jitsuo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Higaki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006929:Hyperaldosteronism / Q000097:blood*; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood*; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D053495:Osteopontin; D012795:Sialoglycoproteins / Q000097:blood*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D015850:Interleukin-6; C506895:SPP1 protein, human; D012795:Sialoglycoproteins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D053495:Osteopontin; D002097:C-Reactive Protein