Renin Assay: Part 1. Study on Plasma Renin Activity in Various Diseases

ABSTRACT

1. Present study was made to observe the plasma renin activity in the patients of benign essential hypertension, malignant hypertension, acute or chronic glomerulonephritis, liver cirrhosis with or without ascites, congestive heart failure, and massive bleeding due to various causes. 2. It was found that the substance with constrictive action on the rat colon had the hypertensive action. 3. The normotensive group showed the renin activity of 1.81+/-1.18ng/ml. 4. Benign hypertension group showed the level of 3.14+/-3.27 ng/ml which was the significantly elevated level compared to the normal group. 5. Malignant hypertensive group showed 8.47+/-9.48 ng/ml, which was not only the apparently elevated value than that of normal group, but also showed significant difference from that of benign essential hypertension. 6. The levels of 5.6+/-2.88 ng/ml and 27.5+/-12.36 ng/ml in chronic and acute glomerulonephritis respectively showed the significantly elevated level than the normal group, and the difference between the acute and chronic glomerulonephritis was also found to be significant. 7. The hepatic cirrhosis with or without ascites showed the level of 3.77+/-2.83 ng/ml and 0.80+/-0. ng/ml respectively. The value of the former was the significantly elevated compared with the normal group, and the later was lowered. 8. The level of 11.11+/-4.12 ng/ml was significantly elevated compared to that of normal group in congestive heart failure. 9. It is suggested that the renin activity assumes to be changed to the kind and the phase of the diseases and according to present data of elevated renin activity in essential hypertension, renin may play a secondary role in essential hypertension rather than to be a primary.