P-96: Association of homocysteine levels with salt sensitivity in non-diabetic hypertensives

Hyperhomocysteinemia comprises a well-established independent risk factor for cardiovascular atherosclerotic disease. Although it is a common feature in diabetic hypertensives, the incidence of hyperhomocysteinemia and its correlation with salt sensitivity has not been thoroughly investigated in non-diabetic, essential hypertensive patients (pts). We studied 942 consecutive non-diabetic pts with uncomplicated essential hypertension, after a 2-week wash-out period. Pts with primary hyperhomocysteinemia were excluded. Plasma homocysteine was measured in the same day with 24-hour urine collection for determination of urine sodium concentration (NaC) and total urine sodium excretion (NaT). When classified to quartiles according to plasma homocysteine values, a progressive significant increase mainly for NaC (114.0, 122.5, 126.6 and 141.4 mEq/L, F=22.63, p15 μmol/L, thus considered as suffering from mild hyperhomocysteinemia. Inversely, grouping of pts in NaC quartiles was accompanied by a significant increase in plasma homocysteine levels (11.36, 12.96, 12.40 and 14.57 μmol/L, F=13.65, p