IJCS | Volume 33, Nº3, May / June 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.36660/ijcs.20180021 Introduction Several risk factors for cardiovascular disease are shared bywomen: family history, smoking, dyslipidemia, obesity, diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, physical inactivity and, specifically, the use of combined oral contraceptives (COC). 1 Evidence indicates that, in this population, the use of low-dose COC adversely alters the fasting lipid profile, 2 increases postprandial lipemia 3 and increases plasma C-reactive protein levels. 4 It is also believed that these lipid alterations cause changes in vascular reactivity raising blood pressure levels. 5,6 Researchers in the 1990s showed that women who used COC were more likely to develop high blood pressure compared to women who did not use COC. 7 In a prospective cohort study of approximately 70,000 208 ORIGINAL ARTICLE International Journal of Cardiovascular Sciences. 2020; 33(3):208-214 Mailing Address: Sidney de Souza Oliveira R. Rio Grande do Sul, 356. Postal Code: 40830-140, Pituba, Salvador, BA - Brazil. E-mail: sid_ney2011@hotmail.com Plasma Renin in Women Using and Not Using Combined Oral Contraceptive Sidney de Souza Oliveira, 1,2, 3 J efferson Petto, 1,4, 5 D iego Passos Diogo, 1, 6 A lan Carlos Nery dos Santos, 1, 6 Marvyn de Santana do Sacramento, 5 A na Marice Teixeira Ladeia 1 Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública, 1 Salvador, BA - Brazil Faculdade de Ciências Empresariais (FACEMP), 2 Santo Antônio de Jesus, BA - Brazil União Metropolitana de Educação e Cultura (UNIME), 3 Lauro de Freitas, BA - Brazil Faculdade Adventista da Bahia (FADBA), 4 Cachoeira, BA - Brazil Centro Universitário Social da Bahia (UNISBA), 5 Salvador, BA - Brazil Universidade Salvador (UNIFACS), 6 Salvador, BA - Brazil Manuscript received August 15, 2018; revised manuscript April 04, 2019; accepted April 21, 2019. Abstract Background: Recent studies show that women on combined oral contraceptives (COC) present abnormal fasting lipid profile, increased postprandial lipemia, plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) and blood pressure (BP) compared to women not on combined oral contraceptives. Plasma renin is one of the factors responsible for abnormal BP. Objectives: To assess plasma renin levels in women using or not using COC, the correlation between renin and CRP, as well as divergences in lipid profile. Methods: A cross-sectional study with apparently healthy women aged 20 to 30, eutrophic, irregularly active, and with fasting triglycerides < 150 mg/dL. The sample was stratified into two groups: the No Combined Oral Contraceptive Group (NCOCG), comprised of women who did not use any type of hormone contraceptive, and the Combined Oral Contraceptive Group (COCG) comprised of women on low-dose COC for at least one year. After a 12-hour fast, 5 ml of blood was collected for renin dosing and PCR. Data were analyzed by the t-Test and bidirectional Mann-Whitney Test, both with significance < 0.05. Results: We evaluated 44 women equally distributed between the groups, age 23 ± 1.2 years, BMI 21.0 ± 3.2 kg/m 2 . Median and interquartile deviation of renin in the NCOCG and the COCG were, respectively, 0.5 (0.1-1.0) and 3.0 (2-6) (p < 0.01). A positive correlation between PCR and renin (p < 0.01 and r = 0.68) was found. Conclusion: The plasma renin levels of women using COC were higher, with a strong correlation with CRP. (Int J Cardiovasc Sci. 2020; 33(3):208-214) Keywords: Hypertension; Metabolism; Contraceptive, Agents; Risk Factors; Genetics; Dyslipidemias; Diabetes Mellitus; Sedentarism, Women’s Health.