Plasma aldosterone is increased in class 2 and 3 obese essential hypertensive patients despite drug treatment.

Abstract: Background The aim of this study was to evaluate whether body mass index (BMI) is independently correlated with plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) in treated essential hypertensive patients, and whether the relationship between BMI and high blood pressure (BP) can be partially mediated by PAC despite renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system blockade. Methods This study used a cross-sectional design and included 295 consecutive essential hypertensive patients referred to our centre for uncontrolled BP despite stable antihypertensive treatment for at least 6 months. The main exclusion criteria were age >65 years; glomerular filtration rate