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Renin and prorenin as biomarkers in hypertension
Current Opinion in Nephrology and Hypertension, 08/10/2012
Clinical Article
Jan Danser AH et al. – Measuring ‘baseline’ renin as a marker of future cardiovascular events or to determine the choice of drug is of limited value in an individual patient.
- A large number of retrospective analyses of patient populations in clinical trials, in whom ‘baseline’ renin measurements were available, supports that high renin, but not high prorenin levels, are indicative of future cardiovascular disease and death, particularly in patients with kidney dysfunction and/or hypertension.
- The relationship is not affected by the use of renin–angiotensin system (RAS) blockers.
- High renin levels also tend to support the use of RAS inhibitors as first-choice antihypertensive agents.
- However, the added value of a renin measurement on top of traditional risk factors is modest, and the pressure response to RAS blockade, even in high-renin patients, varies widely.
