RENIN GENE POLYMORPHISM ASSOCIATED WITH ALDOSTERONE RESPONSIVENESS TOTHE RENIN-ANGIOTENSIN SYSTEM IN PATIENTS WITH ALDOSTERONE-PRODUCING ADENOMAS

1. Aldosterone levels in patients with unilateral aldosterone-producin g adenomas may be responsive or unresponsive to the renin-angiotensin system, with the former often previously misdiagnosed as bilateral adr enal hyperplasia. 2. In tumours from patients in the responsive subgro up, renin mRNA is expressed in greater amounts than in tumours from pa tients in the unresponsive subgroup, or in normal adrenals. 3. We comp ared the frequency of four renin gene polymorphisms in peripheral bloo d DNA from the two subgroups and found significant associations betwee n BglI, TaqI and HinfI restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP ) and aldosterone responsiveness. 4. Allelic variation in the constitu tive renin gene was associated with a specific cause of hypertension.