The clinical use in routine labs is dedicated to:

• Diagnosis of hypertension: Angiotensin II is a pivotal molecule in the blood pressure regulatory loop controlled by the RAAS. Increased interest has developed in measuring Angiotensin II during either diagnosis of hypertension or the maintenance phase of therapy.

• Treatment with Angiotensin Converting Enzyme-Inhibitors (ACE-I): the short-term plasma Angiotensin II level reflects a re-setting of the RAAS at a given level of ACE-inhibition. Long-term therapy with ACE-I is frequently accompanied by a re-bound of Angiotensin II, with a return towards pre-therapy levels. The implications of this re-bound of Angiotensin II may justify careful monitoring of Angiotensin II during long term therapy.

• Treatment with Angiotensin II Receptor antagonists: a new generation of anti-hypertensive drugs has recently been introduced. Similar to ACE-I, these drugs induce a reactive rise in plasma renin activity, Angiotensin I and, unlike ACE-I, an immediate rise in Angiotensin II.

• Angiotensin II as enhancer of lipid peroxidation: patients with essential hypertension show an increased risk for arteriosclerosis that may be related to factors in addition to the level of blood pressure. Although the involvement of circulating Angiotensin II in arteriosclerosis has not been proven, the underlying possibility that Angiotensin II may be involved has raised interest in measuring this parameter. 

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