Variability of aldosterone, renin and the aldosterone-to-renin ratio in hypertensive patients without primary aldosteronism

OBJECTIVES: The aldosterone-to-renin ratio (ARR) is commonly used in the screening of primary aldosteronism. However, limited information is available with regard to the intra-patient variability in this ratio. Our objective is to determine whether ARR measurements are reliably consistent over both the short- and long-term. METHODS: We assessed the short-term variability of the aldosterone-to-renin ratio in 116 unmedicated, essential hypertensive participants who had two blood samples taken in the morning of the same day for measurement of aldosterone and active plasma renin concentration. Long-term variability was studied in 22 unmedicated, essential hypertensive participants who had two blood samples taken approximately 1 year apart. All samples were taken under highly standardized conditions. RESULTS: Our data show that renin, aldosterone and the aldosterone-to-renin ratio show marked variations, both when measured on the same day and when assessed at a longer interval. The ARR becomes increasingly variable as its mean value increases. Its degree of variability is similar in both the short-term and the long-term. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our findings, we conclude that the aldosterone-to-renin has acceptable short-term variability in the lower ranges, but increasingly dubious reliability as aldosterone-to-renin values rise. Thus, in a clinical context, great caution should be taken in interpreting point-measurements of moderate to high aldosterone-to-renin ratio values.