Endocrine Abstracts

Aldosterone is an important cardiovascular hormone. Around 15 % of hypertensives have alteration in aldosterone regulation, defined by a raised ratio of aldosterone to renin (ARR). Studies of CYP11B2, the aldosterone synthase gene, focus on a single nucleotide polymorphism in the 5'promotor region (-344 C/T). We have shown that the T allele is associated with increased urinary excretion and plasma levels of aldosterone and is more common amongst hypertensives with a raised ARR...

The locus comprising the genes that catalyse the final steps of cortisol and aldosterone synthesis (CYP11B1 and CYP11B2 respectively) is a plausible candidate risk region for hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases. Nevertheless, there remains uncertainty as to the strength of the relationship between polymorphisms at this locus and increased blood pressure. In this study, association with hypertension at the CYP11B1/CYP11B2 locus in a Caucasian cas...

Background: Glucorticoids can affect blood pressure in humans, as demonstrated most strikingly in Cushing’s syndrome. We have previously reported that total cortisol metabolite excretion is raised in obese subjects, while other investigations have identified genetically determined changes in glucocorticoid receptor function as contributors to hypertension. Furthermore, in essential hypertension, vasoconstrictor sensitivity to glucocorticoids is increased. Such raised sens...