Selected Zinc Metabolism Parameters and Left Ventricle Mass in Echocardiographic Examination in Primary Arterial Hypertension

Abstract

The basal systolic and diastolic blood pressure, body mass index, left ventricular mass, serum and lymphocyte zinc levels, serum aldosterone, plasma rennin and angiotensin-converting enzyme activities, sodium and potassium levels, and the total and ouabain-dependent rate constants of zinc efflux from lymphocytes were measured in a group of 41 individuals of both sexes (overall age 46.3 +/- 11.4 years), of which 18 were women (48.5 +/- 7.1 years old) and 23 were men (44.7 +/- 13.8 years old). There were no significant differences between these parameters while dividing the subjects into groups according to sex, despite differences in weight, left ventricle mass, plasma rennin activity, and serum aldosterone content. Only the total and ouabain-dependent rate constants of zinc efflux from lymphocytes slightly negatively correlated to left ventricular mass, r = -0.30 to r = -0.36. This may constitute indirect evidence of zinc deficiency in cardiomyocytes of some hypertensive individuals with left ventricular hypertrophy.