Objective: To assess the blood aldosterone-to-renin ratio (ARR) and its relationship to ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) and left ventricular mass (LVM) in children.
Study design: A cross-sectional clinical study was conducted in 102 children (71.6% African American; 62.7% male) ranging in age from 7 to 18 years (mean, 13.6 years; median, 14 years). ABP (24-hour monitoring) was expressed as blood pressure index (BPI; mean blood pressure/95th percentile by sex and height). LVM was measured by echocardiography and expressed as an index (LVMI = g/height [m](2.7)). Regression analyses were used to estimate associations.
Results: African-American children had significantly lower serum aldosterone concentration and plasma renin activity compared with European-American children (aldosterone: 5.9 ng/dL vs 11.4 ng/dL, P < .0001; renin: 1.6 ng/mL/hour vs 2.8 ng/mL/hour, P = .01). However, ARR was not significantly different by race. ARR was not associated with 24-hour ABP but was significantly associated with LVMI (beta = 0.4 g/m(2.7); P = .02) after adjustment for the ratio of 24-hour urine Na to creatinine excretion, body mass index z- score, and ABP index.
Conclusions: The data indicated a significant association between ARR and LVMI, but not ABP, in children, suggesting early cardiac remodeling associated with a high ARR.