Insulin-like Growth Factor I And Essential Hypertension

Objective: The present study was designed to investigate the relationshipbetween Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF—I) and essential hypertension(EH)and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in order to provide a new method for thediagnosis and treatment essential hypertension. Methods: Seventy-four patients with EH and twenty-six normalindividuals were randomly selected to measure their blood pressure,body massindex (BMI),left ventricular mass (LVM) with echocardiography,as well asthe serum IGF—I using radioimmunoassay. In seventy-four patients with EH,blood pressure and serum lever of IGF—I were measured after treatment for3-months. Results: ①Serum IGF—I levels in patients with EH(298±61.2 ng/ml)were significantly higher than that in normal controls(178±51.4 ng/ml),P < 0.05. ②There were significant differences in the levels of serum IGF—Iamong the 3 clinical grading of EH,(238±54.3 ng/ml;295±79.1 ng/ml;376±62.2ng/ml,P < 0.05). ③Levels of serum IGF—I were higher in EH withLVH (369±64.2ng/ml)than EH without LVH(255±69.1ng/ml), and levels ofserum IGF—I correlated positively with left ventricular mass index ( LVMI).④After 3-month's treatment,the decreases of serum IGF—I were moresignificant in patients with normal blood pressure (241±59.21ng/ml)thanpatients with abnormal blood pressure (299±49.2 ng/ml),(P < 0.05). Conclusions: IGF—I is probably involved in the pathophysiologicalprocess of essential hypertension and left ventricular hypertension .