Increased serum concentration of procollagn peptides in essential hypertension and relation to cardiac alterations

ABSTRACT

This study was designed to evaluate fibrogenic activity in patients with essential hypertension by measuring serum procollagen type amino terminal peptide [PIIIP] and procollagen type I [PIP]. The study was performed on 50 patients with never-treated essential hypertension and 30 normotensive control subjects. Measurements were repeated in 43 hypertensive patients after six months of treatment with angiotensin- converting enzyme inhibitor lisinopril. The serum concentrations of PIIIP and PIP were measured by specific radioimmunoassay. Doppler ultrasound recordings and ECG were obtained to determine left ventricle anatomy and function and arrhythmias. Baseline serum PIIIP and PIP were increased in hypertensive patients as compared with the normotensive subjects and they decreased significantly to normal values in patients treated with lisinopril