Abnormalities of calcium metabolism in essential hypertension.

Calcium metabolism has been investigated in patients with essential hypertension and normal renal function to evaluate the renal calcium handling and the reported increase in renal calcium loss. In 55 hypertensive and 55 sex- and age-matched healthy normotensive subjects creatinine clearance, serum total and ionized calcium, plasma parathyroid hormone and 24 h urinary excretion of calcium, sodium and cAMP were measured. In a subgroup of 20 hypertensive patients and 20 controls the fasting calcium excretion rate was also measured. Both 24 h and fasting calcium excretion rates were higher in the hypertensive group; so also were plasma parathyroid hormone and urinary cAMP. Serum total and ionized calcium levels were not different in the two groups. After intravenous calcium infusion (15 mg 3 h-1 kg-1) in seven hypertensive patients and controls, the hypertensive patients excreted more calcium at all serum calcium concentrations. These results support the hypothesis of primary renal calcium leak in essential hypertension. Enhanced urinary calcium excretion rate may cause compensatory parathyroid overactivity.