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Food and health

Dietary salt intake is related to inflammation and albuminuria in primary hypertensive patients

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 66, pages 1214–1218 (2012)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES:

In this study, we hypothesized that dietary salt intake may be related with inflammation and albuminuria independently from blood pressure (BP) in non-diabetic hypertensive patients.

SUBJECTS/METHODS:

A total of 224 patients with primary hypertension were included in the study. Serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, 24-h urine sodium and albumin excretion were measured in all patients. The subjects were divided into tertiles according to the level of 24-h urinary sodium excretion: low-salt-intake group (n=76, mean urine sodium: 111.7±29.1 mmol/24 h), medium-salt-intake group (n=77, mean urine sodium: 166.1±16.3 mmol/24 h) and high-salt-intake group (n=71, mean urine sodium: 263.6±68.3 mmol/24 h).

RESULTS:

Systolic and diastolic BP measurements of patients were similar in the three salt-intake groups. CRP and urinary albumin levels were significantly higher in high-salt-intake group compared with medium- and low-salt-intake groups (P=0.0003 and P=0.001, respectively). CRP was positively correlated with 24-h urinary sodium excretion (r=0.28, P=0.0008) and albuminuria, whereas albuminuria was positively correlated with 24-h urinary sodium excretion (r=0.21, P=0.0002). Multiple regression analysis revealed that urinary sodium excretion was an independent predictor of both CRP and albuminuria.

CONCLUSIONS:

These findings suggest that high salt intake is associated with enhanced inflammation and target organ damage reflected by increased albuminuria in treated hypertensive patients independent of any BP effect.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nephrology, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey

    R Yilmaz, H Akoglu, B Altun, T Yildirim, M Arici & Y Erdem

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  1. R Yilmaz
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  2. H Akoglu
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Yilmaz, R., Akoglu, H., Altun, B. et al. Dietary salt intake is related to inflammation and albuminuria in primary hypertensive patients. Eur J Clin Nutr 66, 1214–1218 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2012.110

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