title: Association between urinary angiotensinogen excretion rates and left ventricular mass index and carotid intima-media thickness in hypertensive kidney transplant recipients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is thought to regulate blood pressure and to be an independent risk factor for the development of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT). Locally produced RAS in most tissues has been recently described. It has been reported that urinary angiotensinogen levels provide a specific index of the intrarenal RAS status and is significantly correlated with blood pressure and proteinuria. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship of local intrarenal RAS with LVH and CIMT in hypertensive renal transplant recipients (RTRs).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 96 non-diabetic RTRs (50 hypertensive patients, 46 normotensive patients) were included in this study. Urinary angiotensinogen (UAGT)/urinary creatinine (Ucre) was significantly higher in hypertensive patients compared with normotensive patients (p < 0.01). Left ventricular mass (LVM)I and CIMT were significantly higher in hypertensive patients compared with the normotensive patients (p < 0.01). Importantly, a significant positive correlation was found between UAGT/Ucre levels and LVMI (r = 0.724, p = 0.012) and also CIMT (r = 0.452, p = 0.02) in hypertensive RTRs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data indicate that UAGT is increased in hypertensive RTRs, and local RAS may play an important role in the development of cardiovascular abnormalities in hypertensive renal transplant recipients.
authors: Department of Nephrology, Gaziantep University School of Medicine, Gaziantep, Turkey.
authors: Ozlem
authors: O
authors: Tiryaki
authors: Celalettin
authors: C
authors: Usalan
mesh_terms: D000808:Angiotensinogen / Q000652:urine*; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003404:Creatinine / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005919:Glomerular Filtration Rate; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000209:etiology*; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery; D007677:Kidney Function Tests; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011379:Prognosis; D011507:Proteinuria; D012084:Renin-Angiotensin System; D012307:Risk Factors; D066027:Transplant Recipients
chemical_list: D000808:Angiotensinogen; D003404:Creatinine
keywords: carotid intima-media thickness; intrarenal renin-angiotensin system; left ventricular mass index; renal transplant recipients; urinary angiotensinogen