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Rheumatic manifestations of nonspecific aortic arteritis are described with a special focus on analysis of early symptoms of the disease.

Some components of plasma and granulocyte proteolytic system, granulocyte activation degree were evaluated in 15 patients with nonspecific aortic arteritis (NAA) and 12 hereditary hypercholesterolemia (HHC) patients. Catepsin G activity in blood plasma of NAA and HHC patients was higher than in donors 8-9 and 6-fold, respectively (p < 0.001). Granulocyte collagenase activity, spontaneous NBT test values in them were higher than in donors 6 and 4-fold (p < 0.02 and p < 0.01, respectively), 2-fold (p < 0.005 and p < 0.001, respectively). The data obtained confirm the suggestion on the presence of an inflammatory component not only in pathogenesis of NAA, but also in HHC causation.

To elucidate a hypotensive effect of isoptin-retard in a dose 240 mg/day, 17 males with mild and moderate hypertension receiving the drug underwent 24-h monitoring by SpaceLabs 5300 and pressure loading. A significant lowering of both mean systolic and diastolic pressure was found both in daytime and at night. A hypotensive effect persisted for 2 months. No case of serious cardiovascular complications, of noticeable shifts in blood biochemistry was reported.

Results of conservative and operative treatment were evaluated in 34 patients with renovascular hypertension conditioned by non-specific aorta-arteritis with lesion of the renal arteries. There were noted late results of surgical treatment in 67% of patients in which the disease was elucidated at early stages and preliminary anti-inflammatory and hypotensive therapy was applied. A prolonged dispensary supervision for prevention and treatment of the disease exacerbation and recurrences of arterial hypertension was noted to be indicated for patients with non-specific aorta-arteritis.

The activity of succinate dehydrogenase, alpha-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase and acid phosphatase in the lymphocytes of peripheral blood was studied in 28 patients with hypertensive disease and vasorenal hypertension (the diagnosis was made on the basis of the findings of angiographic examination) by the method of quantitative cytochemical analysis suggested by R.P. Nartsissov. It was revealed that alpha-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase activity was significantly lower in vasorenal hypertension than in hypertensive disease. The calculation of the difference between the value of succinate dehydrogenase activity and that of alpha-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase activity in these groups was also significant. It is concluded that a complex of cytochemical analysis may be used in differential diagnosis of vasorenal hypertension and hypertensive disease.

131 patients with essential hypertension (EH) and 30 patients with secondary hypertension (SH) of renal genesis were examined, all of them Russian inhabitants of Moscow, aged 20-56. In patients with EH increased rate of HLA-B13 and B22 antigens was determined. The highest rate of HLA-B13 antigen in this group was registered in patients without IHD, while patients with IHD had the highest rate of HLA-B22 antigen compared to controls. Patients with SH demonstrated no significant difference in HLA antigens distribution from that in controls. Besides, patients with EH had significantly increased serum concentration of circulating immune complexes (CIC), of IgA and beta 2-microglobulins as well as of three complement components (C3c, C4 and B factor). Similar changes were observed in patients with SH, excluding CIC and C3c, concentration of which did not differ from that in the control group. No strict dependence between the level of immunity humoral factors and presence of HLA-B13 and -B22 antigens was observed. The data gained suggest possible association of HLA system with EH development.

Nine female patients with Takayasu's disease have been studied. Some changes in humoral and cellular immunity, an increase in erythrocyte sedimentation rate and a decrease in peripheral blood flow have been found. The patients were treated by plasmapheresis, lymphocytapheresis or lymphocytoplasmapheresis, the way of treatment depending on the nature of changes revealed. The treatment resulted in normalization (in some cases only a trend towards normalization was observed) of immunological data, a decrease in erythrocyte sedimentation rate and improvement of the peripheral blood flow. All the patients responded well to the treatment.

Erythrocyte Na-Li countertransport was determined in 42 patients with essential hypertension (EH), 36 patients with hypertensive chronic diffuse glomerulonephritis, 47 patients with chronic pyelonephritis, 19 patients with renovascular hypertension and 9 patients with primary aldosteronism (PA). None of PA patients was treated with verospiron. Individual assessment of Na-Li exchange was made in 15 patients with nonspecific aorto-arteritis (NAA), untreated by steroid hormones, and in 2 glucocorticoid-treated NAA patients. Na-Li exchange parameters were compared before and after surgery in 7 patients with arterial hypertension (AH). Mean rate of Na-Li countertransport was nearly twice as high in EH patients as compared to the respective rate in patients with renal AH, whereas the difference in mean countertransport rates was not significant between EH and PA patients. Increased Na-Li exchange rate went down to normal values in a PA patient, while postoperative hydrocortizone treatment increased this rate in a patient with pheochromocytoma. In the remaining patients with symptomatic hypertensions (renovascular hypertension, pyelonephritic granular kidney, aortic coarctation, pheochromocytoma), Na-Li exchange remained unchanged after surgery. The rate of Na-Li exchange was increased in prednisolone-treated NAA patients, as compared to NAA patients receiving no glucocorticoids. The level of Na-Li exchange was stable over 9-18 months in AH patients with normal plasma aldosterone levels. No effects of obsidan, corinfar, clophelin, furosemide, hypothiazide and triampur on Na-Li exchange were identified.