Potassium influx into erythrocytes in essential hypertension

Sodium plus potassium (Na+K) cotransport in erythrocytes of patients with essential hypertension has mainly been studied elsewhere by measuring net outward frusemide-sensitive Na and K movements. We compared K influx (tracer 86 Rubidium) in control subjects and hypertensives who had never previously been treated for hypertension. The cotransport K influx rates in controls and hypertensives were 0.44 +/- 0.02 (mumol/ml cells/h; mean +/- s.e.; n = 20) and 0.67 +/- 0.06 (mumol/ml cells/h; mean +/- s.e.; n = 23) respectively. The active influxes were 1.03 +/- 0.03 and 2.06 +/- 0.13 (mumol/ml cells/h; mean +/- s.e.) respectively. The variance of both parameters was significantly greater in the hypertensive group but, taking this into account, the differences were significant (P less than 0.01).