The concentration of atrial and brain natriuretic peptide in patients with idiopathic hypertension

The aim was to study the maintenance of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) in patients with idiopathic hypertension and relationships between cardiac morphological parameters and concentrations of the peptides in patients with hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Seventy-six patients were enrolled: 21 with confirmed idiopathic hypertension (group I), 18 with idiopathic hypertension and eccentric hypertrophy (group Ia), 14 with idiopathic hypertension and concentric hypertrophy (group Ib), and 23 healthy controls (group II). All underwent echocardiographic evaluation. Posterior wall thickness (PWT), interventricular septum thickness (IVST), left ventricular mass index (LVMI), relative wall thickness index (RWT), fractional shortening (FS), midwall shortening fraction (MWS), and left atrium diameter (LAd) were studied. Considerably increased ANP and BNP were observed in all patients with hypertension (group I) compared with controls (group II). Significant increases in ANP in groups Ia and Ib compared with groups I and II were found as well as considerably increased BNP in group Ib compared with groups I, Ia, and II. Significant correlations were found between ANP and BNP concentrations and PWT, IVST, LVMI, and RWT. In group Ib, correlation between ANP and BNP and MWS and LAd was found. Multiple regression analysis showed that RWT independently correlated with ANP and BNP and that BNP is more closely related to RWT than is ANP. Increased ANP in patients with idiopathic hypertension may indicate the coexistence of complications with types of LVH. High concentrations of BNP may specifically suggest concentric LVH.