High plasma adrenomedullin concentrations in patients with high-renin essential hypertension

Adrenomedullin (AM) is a novel peptide, first isolated from human phaeochromocytoma, which elicits a long-lasting vasorelaxant activity. Recently, it has been reported that endothelial cells produce AM and that immunoreactive AM plasma levels may be elevated in human arterial hypertension, although the exact pathophysiological role of AM remains to be established. The aim of our study was to determine the relationship between the components of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) and plasma AM levels in patients with low-, medium- or high-renin essential hypertension. The study groups included 10 patients with low-renin essential hypertension (average age 42 15 years), nine patients with medium-renin essential hypertension (46 13 years), 11 patients with high-renin essential hypertension (42 14 years) and 12 healthy subjects (43 11 years). Our results demonstrated that the mean AM values of all patients with essential hypertension were 10.85 3.14 pg/ml; there was a statistical correlation (r=0.705; p