Prostaglandins and hypertension in chronic renal diseases.

The role of prostaglandin A (PG A) in the pathogenesis of renal hypertension has been studied. The concentration of endogenous PG A was measured in the peripheral plasma by radioimmunoassay in patients with chronic renal disease and in control subjects. The mean plasma concentration of PG A1 equivalents was as follows: 1. normotensive healthy volunteers (n=23): 115 +/- 15 pg/ml 2. patients in terminal renal failure on regular hemodialysis a) anephric patients (n=6): 51+/- 21 pg/ml b) patients retaining their own kidneys, all but one with hypertension (n=9): 231 +/- 51 pg/ml (P less than 0.01 versus control) 3. patients with chronic renal disease a) with hypertension (n=7): 204 +/- 60 pg/ml (P less than 0.01 versus control) b) without hypertension (n=11): 136 +/- 30 pg/ml. Renal hypertension was associated with high levels of PG A in peripheral blood. This increase is probably a secondary adaptative mechanism for the excretion of a greater fraction of the glomerular filtrate at a lower blood pressure. PG A may represent a circulating "antihypertensive hormones".