Low serum corin levels predict end-organ damage in patients with hypertensive crisis

The study aimed to investigate the predictive power of serum corin levels for distinguishing between hypertensive urgency (HU) and hypertensive emergency (HE) in patients with hypertensive crisis (HC) admitted to the emergency department.

A total of 120 consecutive consenting adult patients diagnosed with HC and 55 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were enrolled. Blood pressure measurements [(systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial pressure (MAP)] and the evidence of end-organ damage at the first admission were recorded. Patients with HC were classified as patients with HE or HU according to the presence or absence of acute end-organ damage. Serum corin levels were compared between the 2 groups.

The mean serum corin level was significantly lower in the HC group than in the control group; it was also lower in the HE group than in the HU group (p<0.001 for all). In the HE group, clinical features associated with end-organ damage included ST-elevation myocardial infarction (n=28, 46.7%), hemorrhagic stroke (n=11, 18.3%), ischemic stroke (n=11, 18.3%), and non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (n=10, 16.7%). The receiving operator characteristic (ROC) analysis identified a serum corin cutoff value of 45 pg/mL for distinguishing patients with HE from patients with HU with 98.3% sensitivity and 95% specificity.

Our findings suggest that serum corin levels play an important role in regulating blood pressure and are involved in the pathogenesis of HC. Low serum corin levels may predict end-organ damage and serve as a guide for diagnostic decision making in patients with HC.