Effect of acute dietary sodium alterations in normotensive and hypertensive children

We studied the effect of dietary sodium changes on r sodium conservation, body weight, blood pressure and the renin-aldosterone axis in thirteen normotensive children, seven children with essential hypertension, four hypertensive children with renal disease, and four patients with dexamethasone-suppressible hyperaldo- “.steronism (DSH). The changes in aldosterone excretion, plasma renin activity (PRA), and weight, with dietary sodium alterations were similar in normotensive children and in those with essential hypertension. There were no Significant changes in blood pressure or serum potassium Ka either group. The hypertensive children with renal Disease showed more uniform changes in blood pressure, Bat PRA was variable. In addition, we observed hyper-Hdosteronism both in the baseline and low salt periods, Kid there was a failure on the high salt diet to suppress Hdosterone below baseline values. The children with KH demonstrated a low and fixed PRA, fixed aldo-Herone excretion and statistically significant changes in Hood pressure. On the low salt diet, the children with KSH were able to conserve sodium without increasing Heir aldosterone excretion, suggesting that a factor her than aldosterone was involved in sodium conservation. These studies provide information on the meta-HUcresponse of normotensive and hypertensive children Kacute alterations in sodium intake. The data suggest Kagt there are differences in the response of the pn-angiotensin-aldosterone axis depending on the Wjiogy of the hypertension. copyright.