Changes of serum insulin-like growth factor-I levels in patients with essential hypertension before and after lisinopril treatment

Objective To observe the change of serum insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) levels in patients with essential hypertension before and after lisinopril treatment,and to investigate the possible effects of IGF-I in the occurrence and development of essential hypertension. Methods Forty-seven patients with essential hypertension were studied using echocardiography. Serum IGF-I levels were measured by radioimmunoassay in 47 patients with essential hypertension before and after six months of treatment with lisinopril as well as in 23 normotensive controls. Results Baseline levels of IGF-I were higher in essential hypertension patients than in normotensive controls (22.23±10.06)ng/ml vs (15.91±7.59)ng/ml,P0.01.There was a great difference between I～Ⅲ degree patients (F=3.53, P0.05). IGF-I levels were higher in Ⅲ degree patients (28.61±13.10)ng/ml than those in Ⅱ degree patients (22.64±9.94)ng/ml, and in Ⅱ degree patients were higher than those in I degree patients (18.09±6.11)ng/ml. Mean IGF-I level was higher in essential hypertension with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) than in those without LVH (25.95±11.20)ng/ml vs (18.68 ±7.43)ng/ml,P0.05. There was a positive correlation between the serum IGF-I and left ventricular mass index (r=0.54). After six months treatment of lisinopril , serum IGF-I levels fell to (16.82±7.93)ng/ml(P0.05). Conclusion Serum IGF-I levels increased in essential hypertension with LVH and decreased after treatment of lisinopril. IGF-I may be involved in the essential hypertension associated LVH.