Age and Gender-Related Differences in Hypotensive and Hypertensive Responses to Stellate Ganglion Block

Purpose: The aim of the current study was to investigate: 1) Whether there is an association between age and changes in systolic blood pressure (SBP) after stellate ganglion block (SGB), and 2) Whether gender plays a role in hypotensive and hypertensive responses to SGB. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed SBP changes (ΔSBP) due to SGB, which were performed on 1641 subjects. SBP 30 min after SGB was compared to the baseline values. For the age study, average age of both sexes was calculated for six ranges of ΔSBP. For the gender study, the numbers of subjects (%) in various ranges of positive and negative values of ΔSBP were compared between men and women. Results: There was a significant association between age and both increasing (p < 0.05) and decreasing (p < 0.01) ΔSBP. Higher occurrence rates of negative ΔSBP were found in men as compared to women. On the other hand, higher occurrence rates of positive ΔSBP were found in women as compared to men. In addition, both men and women were found to have increasing ages as ΔSBP values get more positive or more negative. Conclusions: There was an association between age and blood pressure changes after SGB and the association is most likely due to age-related alteration of cardiovascular functions. The different changes of SBP between men and women after SGB may well be attributable to gender differences of autonomic nervous regulation; sympathetic dominant man versus, parasympathetic dominant women.