Hormones and Hypertension

Summary It seems clear that hypertension may be a common feature of growth hormone excess, but precise frequency figures cannot be derived from current data due to bias and inadequate epidemiological study techniques. The mechanism of increased blood pressure is also unclear. There is clear evidence of gross sodium retention and hypertrophy of the heart and blood vessels but these occur in both normotensive and hypertensive acromegaly. This is also true of changes in body fluid volumes. Studies of changes in the levels of, and blood pressure sensitivity to, hormones such as ANF, angiotensin II and catecholamines are frequently contradictory and also difficult to interpret at present. The interrelationships between growth hormone, renal function and blood pressure require further careful study.