Does leptin play a role in the pathogenesis of essential hypertension?
GROUND: Leptin is produced and released by adipocytes in proportion to fat stores. Leptin as an anorectic hormone plays an important role in the regulation of food intake, energy expenditure, and insulin secretion. In contrast, neuropeptide Y, insulin, cortisol, and growth hormone are presumed to be appetite modulators. Leptin and neuropeptide Y are both involved in the activation of sympathetic tone. Increased body fat stores in obese patients are involved in the pathogenesis of some metabolic disorders (e.g., hyperinsulinaemia, glucose intolerance) and arterial hypertension. METHODS AND RESULTS: Based on this pathophysiological background, we tried to assess the relationship between plasma leptin and blood pressure in 41 patients with essential hypertension (EHP; 20 females, 21 males, mean age 38.7+/-1.9 years, mean body mass index – BMI – 25.8+/-0.5 kg/m2) and in an appropriately sex- and BMI-matched control group of 27 normotensive healthy subjects (NHS; 11 females, 16 males, mean
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