Plasma catestatin importance and correlation in patients with dipper and non-dipper hypertension patients

Abstract

Catestatin (CST) is a metabolite of chromogranin A, a soluble protein in catecholamine storage vesicles acting as a feedback inhibitor of catecholamine secretion. This study aims to investigate the correlation of catestatin with dipper and non-dipper status in hypertensive patients. Hypertensive (n=355) and healthy subjects (n=129) were randomly selected at an outpatient clinic. Blood pressure and heart rate were measured according to relevant guidelines. Plasma catestatin level, plasma glucose, lipid levels were measured. An ambulatory blood pressure monitor was performed to determine the dipping patterns in hypertensive subjects. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to assess factors affecting catestatin levels. Left ventricular mass was higher among hypertensives compared with healthy controls (178±47 g versus 213±52 g in healthy controls and hypertensives, p<0.05), but there was no significant difference between the two hypertensive groups 205±43 g versus 228±77 g in dippers versus non-dippers, p=0.54). Average systolic blood pressure (SBP) and the percentage of systolic blood pressure dipping were statistically significantly negative correlated with CST (r=-0.316, p<0.05 for systolic dipping%, r=-0.283, p<0.05 for ASBP). In multivariate analysis for the prediction of catestatin levels, systolic dipping % and mean SBP were found to be independent predictors of plasma catestatin level. Plasma catestatin levels were lower among hypertensives compared to healthy controls and modest inverse correlations between catestatin and dipping percentage of systolic blood pressure and also between catestatin and average systolic blood pressure were noted. In hypertensive subjects, lower plasma catestatin levels may alert clinicians to the non-dipping status of the blood pressure.