Patent ID: 7888000

Claim:
A method for determining salt sensitivity in an individual comprising: (1) adding a known amount of radiolabeled 25-hydroxyvitamin D 3 to a first aliquot of a urine sample from an individual and to a second aliquot of the same urine sample, and adding a known amount of unlabeled 25-hydroxyvitamin D 3 to the first aliquot; (2) incubating the first and the second aliquots prepared in step (1) to allow radiolabeled 25-hydroxyvitamin D 3 binding to proteins in the urine; (3) precipitating the unbound radio labeled 25-hydroxyvitamin D 3 ; (4) measuring the radioactivity in the supernatant of each aliquot of step (3); (5) comparing the radioactivity in the first aliquot with the radioactivity in the second aliquot, wherein an excess of radioactivity in the second aliquot over the radioactivity in the first aliquot is deemed indicative of 25-hydroxyvitamin D 3 binding activity in the urine sample, wherein a higher-than-normal 25-hydroxyvitamin D 3 binding activity in the urine is indicative of salt sensitivity or predisposition to salt-associated hypertension.