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Plasma C-terminal pro-endothelin-1 is associated with left ventricular mass index and aortic root diameter in African-American adults with hypertension

Journal of Human Hypertension volume 25, pages 106–113 (2011)Cite this article

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Abstract

Endothelin-1 (ET-1), a circulating vasoactive peptide with potent vasoconstricting and mitogenic properties, may contribute to target-organ damage in hypertension. We investigated whether plasma levels of C-terminal pro-endothelin-1 (CT-pro-ET-1) are associated with left ventricular (LV) mass and aortic root diameter in African-American adults with hypertension. Plasma CT-pro-ET-1 was measured by an immunoluminometric assay in 1041 African Americans (65±9 years, 72% women) with hypertension. LV mass and aortic root diameter were measured according to the American Society of Echocardiography guidelines, and LV mass was indexed by height to the power 2.7 (LVMi). Multivariable regression analyses were used to assess whether plasma CT-pro-ET-1 was associated with LVMi and aortic root diameter, independent of potential confounding variables. Plasma CT-pro-ET-1 was modestly correlated with LVMi (r=0.21, P<0.0001) and aortic root diameter (r=0.09, P=0.004). In separate multivariable regression models that adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, total and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, smoking history, diabetes, history of myocardial infarction or stroke, and blood pressure-lowering medication and statin use, log CT-pro-ET-1 was significantly associated with greater LVMi (P=0.001) and larger aortic root diameter (P=0.006). CT-pro-ET-1 is independently associated with LVMi and aortic root diameter and may be a marker of target-organ damage in African-Americans adults with hypertension.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants HL-81331 and M01 RR00585 from the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA

    M A Al-Omari, M Khaleghi & I J Kullo

  2. Department of Medicine (Geriatrics), University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA

    T H Mosley Jr

  3. The Research Department, BRAHMS AG, Hennigsdorf/Berlin, Germany

    N G Morgenthaler, J Struck & A Bergmann

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  1. M A Al-Omari
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  2. M Khaleghi
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Correspondence to I J Kullo.

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Competing interests

Dr Morgenthaler, Dr Struck and Dr Bergmann are employed by BRAHMS AG, which developed the assay that we used for the measurement of CT-pro-ET-1 in this study. The other authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Al-Omari, M., Khaleghi, M., Mosley, T. et al. Plasma C-terminal pro-endothelin-1 is associated with left ventricular mass index and aortic root diameter in African-American adults with hypertension. J Hum Hypertens 25, 106–113 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/jhh.2010.20

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