An exaggerated natriuretic response to hypertonic saline infusion in the stage II (who stage classification) essential hypertensive patients.

We examined the natriuretic response to a hypertonic saline infusion in essential hypertensive patients who were subgrouped according to WHO stage classification. We studied 36 essential hypertensive patients and 17 normal subjects matched for age under the precise state of sodium balance (120 mEq sodium per day). The stage II essential hypertensive patients had exaggerated diuretic and natriuretic responses following the infusion of 525 ml of saline containing 120 mEq sodium for 1 hour. Our results suggest that development of essential hypertension induces a functional state that resembles expansion of extracellular fluid volume.