Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics According to AARR Quartiles
| Patients, No. (N=211) | 53 | 53 | 53 | 52 | P Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AARR, ng/dL/μU/mL | 0.17±0.07 | 0.55±0.17 | 1.24±0.28 | 3.43±2.44 | |
| AARR range | 0.03–0.3 | 0.32–0.83 | 0.85–1.72 | 1.73–13.26 | |
| Age, y | 62.0±11.65 | 61.3±8.1 | 57.0±10.0 | 60.0±11.0 | .04 |
| Women, % | 50.9 | 43.4 | 54.7 | 56.6 | .49 |
| BMI, kg/m² | 30.9±4.6 | 30.0±4.7 | 29.8±4.6 | 28.6±5.1 | .03 |
| BP | |||||
| Daytime systolic BP, mm Hg | 129.9±11.4 | 127.5±13.9 | 134.4±14.2 | 132.6±12.9 | .04 |
| Nighttime systolic BP, mm Hg | 115.9±13.5 | 116.0±15.0 | 119.2±16.0 | 119.0±13.6 | <.01 |
| Daytime diastolic BP, mm Hg | 75.7±8.5 | 78.8±8.4 | 81.5±8.1 | 81.4±11.0 | .49 |
| Nighttime diastolic BP, mm Hg | 65.3±7.6 | 68.5±8.4 | 69.1±8.13 | 70.6±8.1 | .01 |
| Laboratory | |||||
| Plasma aldosterone concentration, ng/dL | 15.0 (10.5–19.3) | 12.3 (9.5–18.4) | 16.3 (12.6–21.7) | 18.4 (14.8–23.9) | <.01 |
| Plasma renin concentration, μU/mL | 86.1 (64.6–157.8) | 24.3 (15.0–42.8) | 14.0 (10.5–18.2) | 6.6 (3.9–9.8) | <.01 |
| 24‐H urinary sodium, mmol/24 h | 165.0 (116.0–217.5) | 139.0 (108.0–192.0) | 152.0 (107.0–193.0) | 136.0 (97.6–198.8) | .26 |
| 24‐H total creatinine excretion, g/24 h | 1.2 (1.0–1.55) | 1.3 (1.0–1.5) | 1.3 (0.8–1.65) | 1.1 (0.8–1.5) | .52 |
| NT‐proBNP, pg/mL | 83.0 (42.5–153.0) | 88.0 (41.5–171.5) | 77.0 (38.0–132.5) | 95.0 (53.0–231.0) | .19 |
| Serum creatinine, μmol/L | 91±13 | 95±16 | 97±13 | 97±13 | .12 |
| eGFR, mL/min/1.73 m² | 71.2±19.8 | 72.4±13.6 | 78.6±18.7 | 79.2±17.5 | .04 |
| Diabetes mellitus, % | 34.0 | 22.6 | 17.0 | 15.4 | .09 |
| Hemoglobin A1c, mmol/mol | 43.0 (39.5–57.0) | 39.0 (36.0–44.5) | 37.0 (36.0–42.0) | 39.0 (37.0–41.0) | <.01 |
| Active smokers, % | 3.7 | 9.4 | 20.8 | 25.0 | <.01 |
| Medication | |||||
| Different antihypertensive drugs, No. | 2 (1–3) | 2 (1–3) | 1 (1–3) | 2 (1–3) | .08 |
| ACE inhibitors, % | 49.0 | 43.4 | 34.0 | 40.4 | .46 |
| AT1 blockers, % | 39.2 | 35.9 | 18.9 | 17.3 | .01 |
| Thiazide diuretics, % | 52.5 | 44.3 | 36.1 | 43.3 | .34 |
| Loop diuretics, % | 9.8 | 3.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | <.01 |
| β‐Blockers, % | 47.5 | 54.1 | 47.5 | 63.3 | .25 |
| Calcium antagonists, % | 29.5 | 24.6 | 24.6 | 18.3 | .55 |
| Birth control in premenopausal women, % | 66.7 | 33.3 | 25.0 | 0.0 | .28 |
| Postmenopausal, % | 90.3 | 80.7 | 87.1 | 89.2 | .66 |
| Hormone replacement therapy, % | 3.5 | 3.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .51 |
Abbreviations: AARR, aldosterone to active renin ratio; ACE, angiotensin‐converting enzyme; AT1, angiotensin II type 1 receptor; BMI, body mass index; BP, blood pressure; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; NT‐proBNP, N‐terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide. Continuous data are presented as mean±standard deviation and as medians with interquartile range, and categorical data are shown as percentages. Analysis of variance with P for trend, Kruskal‐Wallis, and chi‐square tests were used.