Science / Medicine : Hormone, Heart Attacks Linked

People with high blood pressure appear far more likely to suffer heart attacks if their bodies produce high levels of a hormone that constricts blood vessels, researchers said last week.

A seven-year study involving 1,717 workers with mild to moderate high blood pressure found those with high levels of the hormone renin were up to seven times more likely to have a heart attack than those with low levels.

The study “shows clearly that renin levels can be a powerful predictor of who is going to have a heart attack,” said Dr. John Laragh of Cornell University Medical College in New York, who led the study. The kidney-produced hormone could play a role in causing heart attacks by constricting blood vessels and cutting off blood to the heart, he said.

Based on the findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Laragh said renin tests should become a standard part of routine physicals, even for those with normal blood pressure.