Key result
Borderline essential hypertensives had consistently higher adjusted venous noradrenaline concentrations than control subjects (p<0.05), suggesting enhanced sympatho-neural activity.
Why the study?
Do adjusted plasma catecholamine concentrations differ between young borderline hypertensives, offspring of hypertensive parents, and controls at rest and during mental stress?
Observational (n=123)
Do adjusted plasma catecholamine concentrations differ between young borderline hypertensives, offspring of hypertensive parents, and controls at rest and during mental stress?
Young borderline essential hypertensives exhibit enhanced sympatho-neural activity, as evidenced by higher adjusted venous noradrenaline concentrations compared to controls.
May indicate early sympathetic overactivity in borderline hypertension; hypothesis-generating and leaves causal role open for longitudinal studies.
The interpretation of plasma catecholamine measurements may be influenced by psychological and physical factors. Therefore, catecholamine concentrations were adjusted for between-subject differences by the following possible confounding factors, i.e. body-mass index, individual maximal physical work capacity, urinary sodium excretion rates and anxiety score. Subjects were 24 borderline essential hypertensives, aged 18-24 years, 50 age-matched normotensive offspring of hypertensive parents and 49 controls with no family history of hypertension studied at rest and during mental stressors (Stroop colour-word conflict test, mental arithmetic). Borderline hypertensives had consistently higher adjusted venous noradrenaline concentrations than control subjects (p less than 0.05). Adjusted plasma adrenaline concentrations were higher in borderline hypertensive subjects than in offspring of hypertensive parents during supine rest. Despite its limitations, venous plasma noradrenaline concentrations when adjusted for work capacity, body-mass, sodium excretion and anxiety suggest enhanced sympatho-neural activity in young borderline essential hypertensives.
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Perini et al. (1990) conducted an observational in Borderline essential hypertension (n=123). Borderline essential hypertension vs. Normotensive offspring of hypertensive parents and normotensive controls was evaluated on Adjusted venous noradrenaline and adrenaline concentrations (p=<0.05). Borderline essential hypertensives had consistently higher adjusted venous noradrenaline concentrations than control subjects (p<0.05), suggesting enhanced sympatho-neural activity.
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