Altered levels of erythrocyte calcium-binding proteins in essential hypertensives with genetic predisposition: correlation with ambulatory blood pressure.

Objective: To examine whether changes in calcium-binding proteins, one of the components of the calcium ion handling mechanism, occur in humans with essential hypertension. Design: We measured the levels of cytosolic calcium-binding proteins purified from human erythrocytes using a felodipine fluorescence assay, and examined the correlation between this parameter and the ambulatory blood pressure (ABP). We divided 127 subjects into four age-matched groups according to their mean ABP levels and whether they had a family history of both hypertension and stroke [group A hypertensives with a positive family history (n=30), group B hypertensives with no family history (n=31), group C normotensives with a family history (n=31) and group D normotensives with no family history (n=35) of hypertension and stroke]