Mild Essential Hypertension in Nonobese Premenopausal Women Is Characterized by Low Renin

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Abstract
The pathophysiological mechanisms in hypertension may differ in men and women. Plasma renin activity was measured in 27 premenopausal, nevertreated hypertensive women (blood pressure 141 ± 2/93 ± 1 mm Hg) and in 18 age-matched normotensive women (blood pressure 113 ± 2/71 ± 2 mm Hg). All subjects were unaware of their blood pressure status. The hypertensive women had on average lower plasma renin activity (0.21 ± 0.03 nmol/ L/h) than their normotensive controls (0.42 ± 0.07 nmol/L/h, P < .01). Serum estradiol was also lower in the hypertensive women (0.57 ± 0.06 v 0.81 ± 0.09 nmol/L, P < .05). No difference in epinephrine, norepinephrine, atrial natriuretic peptide, or vasopressin was found between the groups. Plasma renin activity was positively correlated to plasma norepinephrine in the hypertensive women only (r = 0.41, P < .05). Since low renin hypertension is associated with less cardiovascular complications, this may offer an explanation for the better prognosis of hypertension in women. Am J Hypertens 1992;5:579-584

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