Background: Evidence suggests that resistin, a recently described protein, is associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in different clinical settings. In this study, we investigated the relationship of increased resistin levels with urinary albumin excretion, expressed as the albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR), an established index of diffuse vascular damage, in hypertensives.
Methods: Our population consisted of 132 untreated nondiabetic subjects with stage I-II essential hypertension (49 males, mean age = 54 years, mean office blood pressure (BP) = 159/100 mm Hg). In all patients, ACR was determined as the average of three nonconsecutive morning spot urine samples, and venous blood sampling was performed for estimation of resistin concentrations. The distribution of resistin was split by the median (4.63 ng/ml), and accordingly, subjects were stratified into those with high and low values.
Results: Hypertensive patients with high (n = 66) compared to those with low resistin (n = 66) exhibited higher ACR values (21.8 + or - 15.3 vs. 10.3 + or - 3.8 mg/g, P < 0.01), even after adjustment for confounders. In the total population, resistin was associated with 24-h systolic BP (r = 0.244, P < 0.05), serum creatinine (r = 0.311, P = 0.007), and ACR (r = 0.499, P < 0.01). Multiple regression analysis revealed that age (b = 0.193, P = 0.02), body mass index (b = 0.237, P = 0.02), 24-h systolic BP (b = 0.338, P < 0.0001), 24-h heart rate (b = 0.169, P = 0.04), and resistin (b = 0.77, P < 0.01) were independently associated with ACR (R(2) = 0.471, P < 0.01).
Conclusions: Hypertensive subjects with augmented resistin levels exhibit higher albuminuria, independently of established risk factors. Moreover, the association of resistin with ACR suggests a link between resistin and microvascular disease in the early stages of essential hypertension.