Nailfold capillary density in salt-sensitive and salt-resistant borderline hypertension

Objective: Nailfold capillary density was measured at rest and after 4 min circulatory arrest in order to investigate the relationship between sodium-sensitive hypertension and microvessel density. Design: Seventeen sodium-sensitive and 28 sodium-resistant young borderline hypertensive males and 10 normotensive controls were studied. All of the subjects ate a diet containing 120 mmol/day sodium during the week preceding the investigation. Methods: Capillary density was investigated by means of intravital video-microscopy. Blood pressure, cardiac index, plasma volume and humoral factors, such as plasma renin activity, plasma aldosterone and atrial natriuretic peptide, were also determined