Urinary free 19-nor-deoxycorticosterone and deoxycorticosterone in human hypertension

The urinary excretion of deoxycorticosterone (DOC) and 19-nor-deoxycorticosterone (19-nor-DOC) was measured using a technique which consisted of the purification of both steroids by high pressure liquid chromatography followed by RIA using specific antibodies. The urinary excretion of DOC was 29.4 +/- 25 ng/24 h (mean +/- SD) in 35 normal subjects, 26 +/- 21 ng/24 h in 46 patients with low renin hypertension (LRHT), and 32 +/- 23 ng/24 h in 16 patients with normal renin hypertension (NRHT). The urinary excretion of 19-nor-DOC was 287 +/- 178 ng/24 h in normal subjects, 224 +/- 167 ng/24 h in LRHT patients, and 235 +/- 170 ng/24 h in NRHT patients. There were no hypertensive patients with increased excretion of 19-nor-DOC. The excretion of 19-nor-DOC increased after 3 days of sodium depletion in normal and hypertensive subjects, but the increment was significantly higher in normotensive subjects. There was no correlation between the excretion of 19-nor-DOC and that of DOC or urinary aldosterone. This study suggests that DOC or 19-nor-DOC does not play a role in the pathogenesis of either LRHT or NRHT and disagrees with previous reports suggesting such a role.