Arterial hypertension is nowadays no longer considered an isolated disorder of blood pressure regulation but a multifactorial disease with metabolic and cellular deviations. From the therapeutic aspect of thus conceived hypertension today inhibitors of the angiotensin converting enzyme seem most promising. With regard to their assumed comprehensive effect, the authors investigated simultaneously selected pressor and depressor humoral indicators and other indicators in 21 hypertensive patients with stage I and II of essential hypertension before and after three-month treatment with an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor lisinopril (Prinivil, Merck, Sharp and Dohme) and compared them with findings in 21 normotensive healthy subjects. Hypertensive subjects before treatment had, as compared with normotensives, significantly lower urinary kallikrein (7.8 +/- 1.2 < 18.0 +/- 4.2 EU/24hr, a significantly higher basal plasma adrenalin (1.27 +/- 0.20 > 0.54 +/- 0.20 pmol/ml) and adrenalin after a glucose load (1.26 +/- 0.22 > 0.51 +/- 0.12) and a higher relative plasma viscosity (1.74 +/- 0.02 > 1.67 +/- 0.01). The two groups did not differ significantly as to the plasma renin activity, plasma aldosterone and fibrinogen concentration and the level of urinary prostaglandins per 24 hr: 6-keto-prostaglandin F1a, thromboxane B2 and prostaglandins E and F2a. The 75 g glucose load produced an increased plasma renin, aldosterone and noradrenaline activity in normotensives as well as hypertensives before and after lisinopril treatment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Keywords: Adult; Aldosterone /blood/; Blood Pressure /physiology/; Catecholamines /blood/; Female; Humans; Hypertension /blood/; Kallikreins /analysis/; Lisinopril /therapeutic use/; Male; Middle Aged; Renin /blood/