Relationship Between Left Ventricular Geometry and Natriuretic Peptide Levels in Essential Hypertension

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Abstract
Previous studies have shown that plasma levels of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) are increased in essential hypertension. However, whether left ventricular geometry affects plasma ANP and BNP levels remains unknown. To investigate the effect of left ventricular geometry on plasma ANP and BNP levels in essential hypertension, we measured plasma ANP and BNP levels in 90 patients with essential hypertension. All patients were hospitalized, and fasting blood samples were obtained in the early morning after 30 minutes of bed rest. Plasma ANP and BNP levels were measured by immunoradiometric assay. Hypertensive patients were classified into four groups according to echocardiographic findings that showed normal geometry, concentric remodeling, eccentric hypertrophy, or concentric hypertrophy. Mean plasma ANP and BNP levels in all essential hypertensive patients were higher than those in age-matched normotensive control subjects. Plasma ANP levels in hypertensive patients wit...