Abstract
This study examines the influence of bromocriptine, a dopamine agonist, on circadian secretory patterns of plasma 18-hydroxycorticosterone (18-OHB) and cortisol in essential hypertension. Patients with sustained essential hypertension were studied after they had reached equilibrium on a constant 150 mmol sodium and 80 mmol potassium intake. Plasma 18-OHB and cortisol determinations were made at 30-min intervals over 24 h during a control and bromocriptine treatment period (bromocriptine, 2.5 mg t.i.d. for five days). Circadian patterns for plasma 18-OHB and cortisol were observed in all patients before and after bromocriptine. Although bromocriptine did not affect the circadian rhythm of 18-OHB and cortisol it did decrease mean 24-h recumbent 18-OHB from 23 +/- 42.2 to 14.3 +/- 1.4 ng/dl. These results suggest that there is a circadian rhythm of both 18-OHB and cortisol secretion in patients with essential hypertension as in normotensives. Dopaminergic mechanisms exert an effect on the quantitative secretion of 18-OHB. However, the circadian rhythm for 18-OHB and cortisol does not appear to be dependent on dopaminergic mechanisms.
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