Patients with essential hypertension were studied for the reaction of the hypophyseal-adrenal-system before and during insulin hypoglycemia test. We found in our results that the mean total corticoid levels in plasma of hypertensive patients with low or high PRA are significantly higher than control levels. In insulin hypoglycemia test the mean corticoid levels of patients with normal and high PRA do not differ from the mean levels found in normal individuals whereas hypertensive patients with low PRA have significant lower plasma corticoid levels. The mean baseline and hypoglycemia induced plasma ACTH levels of each group of hypertensive patients are higher than those of the controls. Patients with high PRA show the highest rise of mean plasma ACTH levels during hypoglycemia. These data suggest that the adrenal system of hypertensive patients produces less total corticoids; plasma ACTH levels of these patients therefore are higher than those of normal individuals.

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