Effect of autonomic hyperreflexia on plasma renin

Area of Science:

• Nephrology
• Neurology
• Cardiovascular Physiology

Background:

• Spinal cord injury can cause autonomic hyperreflexia, a condition leading to paroxysmal hypertension.
• The role of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in this hypertensive response is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether plasma renin levels increase in response to sympathetic stimulation causing autonomic hyperreflexia in spinal cord injury patients.

Main Methods:

• Four patients with spinal cord injury experiencing autonomic hyperreflexia were studied.
• Plasma renin levels were measured during and after induced hypertensive episodes using bladder distention.

Main Results:

• No significant elevation in plasma renin was observed in any of the four patients during or after the autonomic hyperreflexia episodes.

Conclusions:

• Autonomic hyperreflexia in spinal cord injury patients does not appear to be mediated by an increase in plasma renin.
• These findings suggest that the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system may not play a primary role in the acute hypertensive response to sympathetic stimuli in this population.