Measurement of Renin Activity — When Is It Useful?

Since the discovery of renin by Tigerstedt and Bergman 80 years ago, controversy has surrounded its role in the diagnosis and management of the hypertensive patient.1 For many years even its existence was questioned. In the 1930's a boost in its popularity occurred when Goldblatt demonstrated that renal-artery constriction produced hypertension.2 This discovery led several groups to postulate that renin was the factor responsible for the hypertension and that a similar cause- and-effect relation might exist in man.3 However, several years passed before refinements in the measurement of renin permitted assessment of this hypothesis. Initially, proponents enthusiastically proclaimed that renin . . .