Aim: A close association between primary aldosteronism (PA) and atherosclerosis has been well established. We aimed to determine the association between plasma renin activity (PRA) and aldosterone levels (PAC) as well as their ratios (PAC-to-PRA ratio: ARR) with urinary albumin excretion (UAE) in type 2 diabetic patients who did not fulfill PA confirmatory criteria.

Methods: The subjects were 70 type2 diabetic patients (age: 53.3±11.0 years, male: 51, female: 19) with UAE ≤100 mg/gCr. They did not take ACE inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) or diuretic agents. Patients were selected for this study based on various criteria: PRA level ˂10 ng/ml/hr, PAC ˂20 ng/dl, and ARR ˂20 (ng/dl per ng/ml/hr). They were divided into three groups according to UAE levels: NL group (N=33) ˂ 10mg/gCr, N group (N=22) 10-29 mg/gCr, and M group (N=15) 30-100 mg/gCr.

Results: There were no significant differences in age, BMI, HbA1c, and eGFR levels among the three groups. The systolic blood pressure in the M group was significantly higher than those in the NL and N groups. The ARR in the M group was 10.1±4.6, which was significantly higher than those in NL (6.5±0.3) or N (7.0±2.7) groups. In the M group, the levels of PRA and PAC were significantly lower than those in NL or N groups. Log UAE was positively correlated with ARR (r=0.34, p<0.0001) and negatively correlated with PRA (r=-0.32, p<0.001). Systolic blood pressure showed a significant positive correlation with ARR and negative correlation with PRA.

Conclusion: These results suggest that a high ARR level, which did not fulfill confirmatory criteria for PA, was associated with diabetic nephropathy. The relative increase in PAC to PRA might contribute to the development of diabetic nephropathy, even if PAC remains normal level.

Disclosure

M. Higa: None. T. Suzuki: None. T. Kido: None. M. Zenri: None. K. Nao: None. M. Hijikata: None. K. Yamashita: None. K. Ikehara: None. T. Ichijo: None.

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