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

Background: The aim 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). Material/Methods: Seventy-six patients were enrolled: 21 with confirmed idiopathic hypertensions (group I), 18 with idiopathic hypertension and eccentric hypertrophy (group 1a), 14 with idiopthic hyypertension and concentric hypertrophy (group 1b), 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. Results: 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 adn LAd was found. Multiple regression analysis showed RWT independently correlated with ANP and BNP and that BNP is more closely related to RWT than is ANP. Conclusions: Increased ANP in patients with indiopathic hypertension may indicate the coexixtence of complications with types of LVH. High concentrations of BNP may specifically suggest concentric LVH.