title: [The nitric oxide system in patients with arterial hypertension living in high mountains].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate concentrations of stable metabolites of nitric oxide (NO)--nitrites and nitrates--in blood components of hypertensive patients living in high mountains.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 90 healthy subjects and 90 patients with hypertension of different severity and duration living in high mountain regions near Elbrus. The age of the patients varied from 37 to 78 years. General clinical examination, computed electrocardiography, echocardiography, digital pulsoxymetry were made in all the examinees, monitoring of blood pressure (BP) was carried out in hypertensive patients. NO production was estimated by total content of nitrites and nitrates in blood plasma and erythrocytes detected at spectrophotometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All the hypertensive patients had low concentrations of nitric oxide metabolites in plasma, erythrocytes and blood aggravating with progress of hypertension and its duration. The greatest reduction of nitrites concentration in plasma and erythrocytes was in patients with hypertension of the second degree (by 47 and 57%, respectively) and the third degree (by 50 and 60%, respectively) compared to healthy subjects. Nitrates content in erythrocytes was low but higher than in plasma: by 15 and 24, 12 and 25% in patients with hypertension of the second and third degree, respectively. Lowering of nitrates and nitrites concentrations was accompanied with imbalance of their content in plasma and erythrocytes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  NO plays an important role in development and course of hypertension. In conditions of chronic high mountain hypoxia NO synthesis intensifies. This explains a favourable course of hypertension in hypertensive patients living in the region of high mountains.
authors.forename: M Kh
authors.initials: MKh
authors.lastname: Kurdanova
authors.forename: I A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Beslaneev
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Batyrbekova
authors.forename: Z A
authors.initials: ZA
authors.lastname: Berkhamova
authors.forename: A Kh
authors.initials: AKh
authors.lastname: Sarbasheva
authors.forename: Kh A
authors.initials: KhA
authors.lastname: Kurdanov
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000531:Altitude; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory; D018450:Disease Progression; D004562:Electrocardiography; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009566:Nitrates / Q000097:blood; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D009573:Nitrites / Q000097:blood; D010092:Oximetry / Q000379:methods; D011379:Prognosis; D012424:Rural Population; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013053:Spectrophotometry
chemical_list: D009566:Nitrates; D009573:Nitrites; D009569:Nitric Oxide