Renal sodium excretion and the peritubular capillary physical factors in essential hypertension

Peritubular capillary hydrostatic and oncotic forces and their relationship to the renal excretion of sodium (UNaV) were examined in 19 patients with moderate and uncomplicated essential hypertension (HT) and compared with data from 20 normotensive subjects (NT). Observations were made in hydropenia (C) and during sustained isotonic saline volume expansion (E; 3% increase in body weight). The intrarenal venous pressure (IRVP) was used as an index of peritubular capillary hydrostatic pressure, and the efferent arteriolar colloid osmotic pressure (COPeff) was estimated from the arterial COP and the filtration fraction. C values (mean +/- SEM) in HT (and NT) were: arterial pressure (MAP) 110 +/- 3 mm Hg (85 +/- 1, p less than 0.001); glomerular filtration rate (GFR) 122 +/- 4 ml/min/1.73 m2 (128 +/- 3, p greater than 0.05); renal blood flow (RBF) 1172 +/- 38 ml/min/1.73 m2 (1298 +/- 48, p less than 0.05); IRVP 25.0 +/- 1.0 mm Hg (24.8 +/- 0.8, p greater than 0.05); COPeff 33.0 +/- 0.7 mm Hg (31.9 +/- 0.6, p greater than 0.05); and UNaV 140 +/- 13 mumole/min (161 +/- 12, p greater than 0.05). During E, the increase of UNaV in HT was more than double that of NT (p less than 0.001) while IRVP did not change in either group (p greater than 0.05); and COPeff fell by 26% (p less than 0.001) in both groups. GFR and RBF increased by 18% (p less than 0.001) and 19% (p less than 0.001) respectively, in HT, but did not change in NT. MAP remained unchanged in both groups. The results indicate that the peritubular capillary physical factors are normal in established essential hypertension, and that these forces are not involved in the exaggerated natriuretic response to volume expansion in essential hypertension.