Angiotensin-mediated renin suppression is altered in non-modulating hypertension.

Plasma renin activity (PRA) suppression by angiotensin II (Ang II), the "short feedback loop," has been shown to be blunted in essential hypertension. Non-modulators comprise 50% of normal- and high-renin essential hypertensive individuals and are defined by their abnormal adrenal and renal responses to infused Ang II. This study sought to determine if the abnormal Ang II suppression of PRA in essential hypertension is specific to non-modulators. We measured PRA suppression during infusion of Ang II in 22 normotensive and 32 hypertensive (16 modulators and 16 non-modulators) subjects. A significant correlation between basal PRA and the fall in PRA in response to Ang II infusion was seen in the normotensives (r = -0.934, p less than 0.001) and modulators (r = -0.831, p less than 0.001) but not in the non-modulators (r = -0.275, p = 0.304). However, after 3 days of converting enzyme inhibition therapy, the correlation between basal PRA and decrement in PRA was significant in the non-modulators (r = -0.762, p less than 0.01). Thus, the abnormal PRA suppression documented previously in hypertensive individuals is a defect specific to non-modulators and is corrected with converting enzyme inhibition therapy.