Endocrine factors in juvenile essential hypertension

Of 103 borderline essential hypertensives below the age of 36 years, 11 (10.7%) showed low renin, 57 (55.4%) showed normal renin, and 35 (33.9%) showed high renin. Various hormones such as plasma catecholamines, PA, DOC, B, cortisol 18-OH-DOC, 18-OH-B, ACTH, AVP and PRL tended to be high in the high renin group and tended to be low in the low renin group. Furthermore, urinary excretion of kallikrein was also increased in the high renin group and reduced in the low renin group. There was no hormone which was increased in the low renin group. Regardless of renin levels, pressor responses to exogenous angiotensin II were increased in these juvenile essential hypertensives. From these studies on endocrine factors it is concluded that essential hypertensives are largely divided into 3 groups; the high hormone group, the normal hormone group and the low hormone group, and increased hormones may play an important role in the development of hypertension in the high hormone group. However, in the low hormone group and a part of the normal hormone group the mechanism of hypertension cannot be revealed by the study on endocrine factors.