Exploring the Role of Immune Complexes in Essential Hypertension

Abstract

: Essential hypertension is a rise of arterial blood pressure whose etiology is unknown. Immune complexes are complexes created by the binding of an antibody to the antigen. They are also called circulating immune complexes because of its precipitation in peripheral blood vessels, commonly on the places of their bifurcation and the places of higher blood pressure (glomerules of kidney or synovia). The goal of this study is to, by statistical estimation, connect essential hypertension and immune complexes as a cause of many appearances. With this aim, two groups of twenty-five examinees were questionnaire about their frequency and how long they ailed acut streptococcal tonsillitis, which may latter cause poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis as a consequence of immune complex creation. In doing so, examinees were also questionnaired about immune complex diseases (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), Polynodosa Arteritis (PA), and Poststreptococcal Glomerulonepritis (PSG)). After all, they were questionnaired, about how frequently and how long they used penicillin as a therapy, which also may, in certain occasions, affect the creation of immune complexes. Examined groups were formed by patients suffering from essential hypertension, and the control groups were formed by randomly chosen examinees. By statistical estimating data from the mentioned questionnaire, we concluded that the frequency of past acute streptococcal tonsillitis in patients with essential hypertension has statistical significance and the frequency of past or actual immune complex diseases (SLE, PA, PSG); and using penicillin as a therapy does not have statistical significance.