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(Hypertension. 1996;28:213-218.)
© 1996 American Heart Association, Inc.

Articles

Elevated Lymphocyte Cytosolic Calcium in a Subgroup of Essential Hypertensive Subjects

Alicia Rivera; Paul R. Conlin; Gordon H. Williams; Mitzy L. Canessa

the Endocrinology-Hypertension Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital; Medical Service, Brockton/West Roxbury VA Medical Center; and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.

Abnormalities of intracellular calcium homeostasis and sodium-proton exchange have been implicated in the pathophysiology of essential hypertension. To further define the nature of cytosolic calcium abnormalities and whether they relate to increased sodium-proton exchange in hypertension, we have studied peripheral lymphocytes from normotensive and hypertensive subjects. Lymphocyte cytosolic calcium was significantly increased (P<.01) in hypertensive compared with normotensive subjects while consuming a high salt diet. Using maximum likelihood analysis, we found that cytosolic calcium levels in our study population were not normally distributed and observed three modes (P<.02). The means of the first mode and the two upper modes were separated (±2 SD) at a cytosolic calcium level of 120 nmol/L. We conducted further analysis in the subgroups with cytosolic calcium levels >120 nmol/L or <120 nmol/L. The majority of the normotensive subjects (86%) and half of the hypertensive subjects (52%) had levels <120 nmol/L. Clinical characteristics of the two subgroups did not differ. Subjects with levels <120 nmol/L had a rise in cytosolic calcium when changed to a low salt diet; those with levels >120 nmol/L did not show a change in cytosolic calcium but their blood pressure fell significantly with salt restriction. Hypertensive subjects also had increased sodium-proton exchange activity compared with normotensive subjects when both groups were studied in a high salt balance. A positive correlation between sodium-proton exchange and cytosolic calcium was observed in subjects with levels <120 nmol/L. There was insufficient power to draw conclusions on this relationship in subjects with levels >120 nmol/L. Thus, many hypertensive subjects have increased cytosolic calcium, but this abnormality is not associated with sodium-proton exchange activity in all individuals. The salt-induced change in cytosolic calcium in subjects with levels <120 nmol/L and its link to sodium-proton exchange suggest regulation by factors involved in salt-volume homeostasis. Individuals with cytosolic calcium >120 nmol/L, most of whom were hypertensive, may have abnormalities in this regulation, contributing to hypertension.

Key Words: lymphocytes • hypertension, essential • calcium • sodium, dietary • hydrogen ion concentration

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