LACK OF ASSOCIATION BETWEEN BOTH INSULIN-RESISTANCE AND PLASMA-INSULIN LEVELS WITH BLOOD-PRESSURE VALUES IN ESSENTIAL-HYPERTENSION

Aim: To evaluate the role of insulin resistance and hyperinsulinaemia in the genesis of essential arterial hypertension (EAHT). Subjects and Methods: We studied 49 patients (age 44 +/- 8 y., body mass index (BM I: 29.5 +/- 3.2 kg.m(-2)) with mild or moderate EAHT (systolic blood p ressure: 156 +/- 13 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure: 100 +/- 6 mmHg). P atients with BMI > 27 kg.m(-2) were classed as obese. Arterial pressur e was measured with a mercury sphygmomanometer after the patient had b een lying down for 15 min. For each patient, the results of a frequent ly sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test (FSIGT) were used to est imate insulin sensitivity (using the minimal model of glucose metaboli sm) and to characterize insulin secretion in response to intravenous g lucose (area of the insulin curve above basal during the 180 min of th e FSIGT test). Correlations were evaluated by means of Spearman's corr elation coefficient. Results: Neither fasting insulinaemia, glucose-in duced insulin secretion nor insulin sensitivity correlated significant ly with arterial pressure, either in the whole sample or in the obese and non-obese subsamples. Conclusions: These results suggest that neit her insulin nor insulin sensitivity are important physiological regula tors of arterial pressure, and lend no support to the hypothesis that insulin is related to essential arterial hypertension.