INCREASED SALT RETENTION AND HYPERTENSION FROM NONSTEROIDAL AGENTS INTHE ELDERLY

We studied blood pressure and natriuretic responses to acute salt load ing, and the effect of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents on these responses, in five healthy normotensive women aged 65 to 71 years. Fi ve women aged 25 to 31 years acted as controls. Intravenous saline loa ding, with and without prior ingestion of ibuprofen, was 15 ml/kg/h fo r 3 h. Baseline blood pressures were higher in the elderly. Saline inf usion without ibuprofen raised systolic blood pressure (SEP) by about 25 mmHg in the older group only. Ibuprofen increased baseline SEP in t he elderly (129 +/- 6 vs. 116 +/- 5 mmHg, p < 0.05). Saline loading af ter ibuprofen again raised blood pressure by about 25 mmHg in the elde rly only. The elderly group showed markedly increased sodium excretion during saline loading, but this was reduced by ibuprofen. Ibuprofen h ad no effect on SEP or sodium excretion in controls. Ageing appears to increase susceptibility to salt retention and hypertension from non-s teroidal anti-inflammatory agents.