Salt Reduction on Blood Pressure and Cardiovascular Organ Damage

Hypertension Clinical Trial

Official title: Effects of Modest Salt Reduction on Blood Pressure and Markers of Target Organ Damage in Patients With Untreated Essential Hypertension or Prehypertension

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of a modest reduction in salt intake on blood pressure in white, black and Asian individuals with hypertension or prehypertension, and also to determine whether a modest reduction in salt intake has beneficial effects on the surrogate markers of target organ damage in cardiovascular disease.

Clinical Trial Description

The average salt intake for adults in the UK is approximately 10-12 g/day. The current recommendations are to reduce salt intake to 5-6 g/day or less. Many randomised trials have shown that this reduction in salt intake has a significant effect on blood pressure, however, most previous trials were carried out in white individuals, fewer in blacks, and none in Asians.

Increasing evidence from epidemiological studies in humans and experimental studies in animals suggest that that our current high salt intake may have other harmful effects on cardiovascular health e.g. a direct effect on stroke, left ventricular hypertrophy, progression of renal disease and proteinuria independent of and additive to salt's effect on blood pressure. However, no well-controlled trials have studied whether a modest reduction in salt intake has beneficial effects on the surrogate markers of target organ damage in cardiovascular disease.

We propose to carry out a double-blind randomised trial to study the effects of a modest reduction in salt intake, as currently recommended, on blood pressure and target organ damage assessed by the measurements of 24 hour urinary albumin excretion, left ventricular mass, left ventricular diastolic function, pulse wave velocity and capillary density, in white, black and Asian individuals with hypertension or prehypertension.

Comparisons: Usual salt intake compared to reduced salt intake. ;

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Crossover Assignment, Masking: Double-Blind, Primary Purpose: Treatment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Hypertension
• Prehypertension

• NCT number: NCT00152074
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: St George's, University of London
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 3
• Start date: April 2004
• Completion date: December 2007