Does Aldosterone Cause Hypertension by a Non-Renal Mechanism?
Status:
Unknown status
Trial end date:
2009-11-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
It is well known that Aldosterone (aldo) can cause hypertension (HBP). Since aldo is known to
cause the kidney to retain sodium (Na) and Na retention is known to cause HBP, it has been
thought that the mechanism by which aldo causes HBP is by Na retention. Recent studies have
suggested that aldo has many effects in addition to its ability to cause the kidney to retain
Na. To test the hypothesis that aldo can cause HBP in a manner which does not involve Na
retention, we plan, in this protocol, to give Eplerenone, a specific aldo antagonist, to
patients on dialysis who have HBP. A positive effect of Eplerenone to lower HBP in these
patients would support this hypothesis.