• Constitutively activated ENaC in 25 percent of patients with refractory hypertension. On the other hand, Na+ channel activation was not found in any of the study subjects with normal blood pressure or controlled hypertension.
• Results indicating that an abnormally functioning ENaC is associated with a hypertensive clinical phenotype similar to that produced in Liddle's disease.
• ENaC lymphocyte function may be useful in identifying pseudohyperaldosteronism and effective anti-hypertensive therapy where others have failed.
• A high percentage of individuals with pseudohyperaldosteronism will have a clinical status of severe hypertension that is resistant to antihypertensive therapy exclusive of amiloride or other compounds that inhibit ENaC.

Conclusions
This study best exemplifies the potential benefits of translational physiology, demonstrating that research performed in the laboratory has immediate benefits to the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of chronic disorders that afflict Americans.

Presently, amiloride is not considered a first-option treatment for hypertensive patients. These findings will enable caregivers to target those patients who suffer from this deadly condition that will benefit from pharmaceutical products now available.

Findings Have High Impact for Research Overall
This research marks a new direction in physiology research. These investigators adhered to the principles of translational physiology, known as the transfer of knowledge gained from basic research to new and improved methods of preventing, diagnosing, or treating disease, as well as the transfer of clinical insights into hypotheses that can be tested and validated in the basic research laboratory. This process occurs from the bench to the bedside, as well as from the bedside back to the bench.

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Contact: Donna Krupa
djkrupa1@aol.com
703-527-7357
American Physiological Society
19-Aug-2002