Key Benefits

• Check sodium and potassium levels that directly affect blood pressure control.
• Spot medication side effects early, like low sodium or high potassium.
• Flag possible adrenal hormone causes when potassium runs low.
• Guide medication choice and dosing to keep electrolytes safe while lowering pressure.
• Protect heart rhythm and muscles by catching dangerous potassium shifts.
• Clarify cramps, fatigue, thirst, or palpitations that come from electrolyte imbalance.
• Track trends over time to prevent complications from low sodium or high potassium.
• Interpret results with kidney function, medications, blood pressure readings, and symptoms.

What are Hypertension

Hypertension biomarkers are measurable signals from blood, urine, or tissues that reveal the biology driving blood pressure and the organs affected by it. They trace the body’s main control loops: kidney salt–volume regulation (renin, aldosterone; renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system/RAAS), stress nerve and adrenal activity (catecholamines: norepinephrine, epinephrine), vessel tone and lining health (endothelin‑1, nitric oxide pathways), and whole‑body metabolic and inflammatory load (C‑reactive protein/CRP, insulin resistance). They also flag early strain or injury in “target organs” before symptoms appear—heart stretch and wall stress (BNP or NT‑proBNP), kidney filtration stress or leak (creatinine, cystatin C, urine albumin/albuminuria), and vascular wall damage. Testing these markers moves beyond a single cuff reading to identify mechanisms, uncover secondary causes such as hormone‑driven hypertension (primary aldosteronism), tailor therapy choices to the dominant pathway, and monitor whether treatment is protecting the heart, kidneys, and blood vessels over time. In short, hypertension biomarkers translate pressure into a biological story that guides more precise care.

Why are Hypertension biomarkers important?

Hypertension biomarkers are blood and urine signals that show how the body’s pressure-control network—kidneys, blood vessels, and hormones—are working. They translate invisible strain into measurable changes, helping identify mechanism (volume, vascular tone, hormones), target-organ stress, and future risk to the heart, brain, kidneys, and eyes.

Sodium and potassium are central. Typical sodium sits about 135–145, with optimal blood levels in the middle range; it reflects water balance more than salt intake. Typical potassium is about 3.5–5.0, with the middle range supporting steady electrical signaling and relaxed vascular muscle. When these are in range, the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system and kidneys are usually in balance, and blood pressure regulation is steadier.

When values drift low, they signal distinct physiology. Low sodium often reflects excess water or diuretic effect; the brain is sensitive, so headache, confusion, or unsteadiness can appear, and blood pressure may fluctuate or drop on standing. Older adults and women on diuretics are more susceptible. Low potassium reduces the kidney’s ability to calm renin–angiotensin activity, tightening arteries and predisposing to resistant hypertension; people may notice cramps, weakness, or palpitations. In the setting of high blood pressure, low potassium can point to excess aldosterone from the adrenal glands.

Big picture, these biomarkers connect hypertension to kidney filtration, hormone signaling, and vascular reactivity. Together with kidney measures (creatinine, eGFR) and urine albumin, they help map long-term risks such as stroke, heart failure, and chronic kidney disease by revealing whether pressure load is driven by volume, vessel tone, or endocrine causes—and whether organs are bearing the brunt.

What Insights Will I Get?

Hypertension biomarker testing shows how kidneys, vessels, and hormones control pressure, volume, and perfusion—core to energy, cognition, and organ protection. At Superpower, we test Sodium and Potassium.

Sodium is the main dissolved mineral in the blood’s fluid space (primary extracellular cation). It sets water distribution and blood volume. Because pressure follows volume, disturbances in sodium balance can drive or reveal hypertension. Serum sodium is often normal in hypertension, but shifts high or low signal problems in water balance or hormone control (renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system and vasopressin). Interpreted with blood pressure and kidney markers, sodium reflects volume status, vascular load, and neurohormonal drive.

Potassium is the dominant mineral inside cells (primary intracellular cation). It shapes vessel relaxation, electrical signaling, and kidney handling of sodium. Low potassium is a physiologic clue to mineralocorticoid excess or diuretic effect—states that elevate blood pressure. High potassium suggests reduced renal excretion or cellular shifts, conditions that alter vascular tone and cardiac excitability. Within a healthy range, potassium supports steady vascular function, rhythm, and pressure control.

Notes: Interpretation varies with age, pregnancy, acute illness, and sampling conditions. Medications (diuretics, beta-agonists, ACE inhibitors, ARBs, mineralocorticoid antagonists) shift sodium and potassium. Hemolysis can falsely raise potassium. Acid–base status and glucose redistribute potassium. Reference intervals differ by lab and method; compare serial results within the same assay where possible.