Potential mechanisms by which nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs elevate blood pressure: the role of endothelin-1

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of Endothelin-1 in the context of low blood pressure and orthostatic hypotension, published as a randomized controlled trial.

Analysis of covariance was used to evaluate the effect of indomethacin on BP and related parameters.

Why It Was Studied

The main outcome measures were systolic and diastolic BP, heart rate, cardiac output, weight, creatinine clearance, plasma renin activity, aldosterone, endothelin-1 and arginine vasopressin concentrations and 24 h urinary endothelin-1 and 6 keto prostaglandin F1 alpha outputs.

Who Took Part

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were older adults, both men and women.

How the Study Was Run

The researchers set it up as a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled and crossover study.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Endothelin-1 and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

As a double-blind Endothelin-1 study, the assignments were hidden from both participants and investigators until the end.

The comparison arm used a placebo, so changes seen with Endothelin-1 could be set against what happens without it.

Each person switched between Endothelin-1 and the comparison at some point, usually with a gap in between.

A time span of 1 month appears in the methods.

What Was Measured

The main outcome measures were systolic and diastolic BP, heart rate, cardiac output, weight, creatinine clearance, plasma renin activity, aldosterone, endothelin-1 and arginine vasopressin concentrations and 24 h urinary endothelin-1 and 6 keto prostaglandin F1 alpha outputs.

The subject headings attached to it are Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal, Blood Pressure, Endothelins and Indomethacin.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Endothelin-1 in people with low blood pressure and orthostatic hypotension over 1 month.

The publication is from 1996 (Journal of human hypertension), a journal based in England.

More context: the Endothelin-1 compound page, Low blood pressure and orthostatic hypotension research.