[Studies of lymphocyte membrane transport of sodium in patients with essential hypertension].

The aim of this study was to investigate abnormalities in lymphocyte membrane sodium fluxes in patients with essential hypertension with and without familial history of hypertension and the influence of selected hypotensive drugs on these fluxes. 121 patients (pts) with positive family histories of primary hypertension (PFH) and 73 pts with negative family histories of primary hypertension (NFH) were examined. The total sodium efflux rate constant (wswc), ouabaine-sensitive (wswou) and furosemide-sensitive (wswf) were measured by the method of Heagerty et al. To examine the influence of selected hypotensive drugs on sodium fluxes wswc, wswou and wswf were measured before and after 7 days of treatment with hydrochlorothiazide (H) or propranolol (P). Wswou was decreased in 61% pts with PFH and in 19% pts with NFH, wswf was decreased in 38% pts with PFH and in 22% pts with NFH. Both, wswou and wswf, were decreased in 49% pts with PFH and only in 2.7% pts with NFH. Wswou and wswf rose significantly after 7 days of treatment with H or P only in pts with PFH and in pts with decreased wswou and wswf before treatment. These data suggest that abnormal lymphocytes membrane sodium transport often occurs in pts with PFH and has familial component. Changes in transport systems observed after 7 days treatment with H or P may contribute, at least in part, to its antihypertensive action in familial hypertension.